US couple discovered dead in clandestine graves at La Marquesa, Mexico

Mexican authorities uncovered the bodies of Guillermo Jaffet and Zafar Padamsee, a married couple holding both Mexican and United States citizenship, in two clandestine graves in the La Marquesa forest area of Ocoyoacac, State of Mexico. The victims had been reported missing on 20 May 2026 after leaving their home in Huixquilucan for a meeting in the Tlalpan borough of Mexico City. Their disappearance prompted a joint search operation involving the State of Mexico’s Fiscalía General de Justicia (FGJEM), the federal Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, the Mexico City prosecutor’s office and specialized canine units. The excavation on 18–19 June 2026 located four bodies: the two Americans and two additional individuals believed to be of Kenyan origin. Forensic testing is underway to confirm identities, while investigators are examining the victims’ last phone contacts, banking activity and possible kidnapping motives. The couple’s families had sought assistance from the U.S. embassy, which has not issued a public statement. The discovery adds to Mexico’s broader crisis of over 130,000 reported missing persons, a situation highlighted by human‑rights groups as a grave humanitarian issue.