Edwin Montes missing after attending Baja Beach Fest in Mexico

Edwin Montes, a young man from Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been reported missing after attending the Baja Beach Fest in Playas de Rosarito, Mexico. His family and friends began searching for him after he failed to return to his rental accommodation on the night of Saturday, August 9.

On Sunday, his mobile phone was found lying on the ground. Montes did not return to Tijuana to cross into San Diego for his scheduled flight back to the United States.

While the Secretariat of Citizen Security reported a ‘saldo blanco’ (no major incidents) for the festival, which saw daily attendance of approximately 25,000 people, the disappearance highlights ongoing concerns regarding missing persons in the region. In the first half of 2026, the Baja California State Attorney General's Office reported 1,407 investigation files opened for missing or unlocated persons, with 340 individuals still missing.