Guanajuato searcher groups demand protection after activist killing

On 23 June 2024, Patricia Negrete Tafoya, a member of the search‑and‑rescue collective Una Promesa Por Cumplir, was murdered by an armed group after leaving her shift at the Regional Hospital in Pénjamo, Guanajuato. In response, 149 collectives, 138 mother searchers, families and dozens of organisations gathered to demand justice for Negrete and stronger protection for all "personas buscadoras" in the state. They criticised the lack of public information about investigations and asked Governor Libia Dennise García Muñoz Ledo and State Attorney General Gerardo Vázquez Alatriste for a comprehensive report on homicides, disappearances and attacks on searchers.

Separately, the mothers’ collective Salmantinos Unidos Buscando Desaparecidos reported that at least five of its members have received threats and urgently need state protection. Their representative, Alma Lilia Tapia Nájera, warned that without concrete security measures the group will appeal to federal authorities. The collective plans a July 2 meeting with the State Prosecutor’s Office and victim‑assistance commissions to press for protective measures, citing ongoing fear and intimidation that hampers their searches for missing relatives.