Jalisco reports 26 missing adolescents in July 2026

In July 2026, the state of Jalisco recorded 26 cases of adolescents and young adults reported missing, according to vice‑fiscal Blanca Jacqueline Trujillo Cuevas. Five of the missing have been located alive, while the remaining 21 remain under investigation. Five of the cases have been transferred to prosecutors in other Mexican states because evidence suggests the victims may be outside Jalisco.

Authorities say the disappearances are linked to fraudulent job offers that lure youths to bus terminals such as the one in Puerto Vallarta. Two recent victims, 21‑year‑old Violeta Alejandra Santana Bueno and 19‑year‑old Melissa Anahí Carranza Contreras, vanished after responding to a fake employment posting on 27 July. Trujillo noted, “Five of these cases are already located, fortunately alive,” and warned that organized crime groups, including the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel, may be exploiting such schemes to recruit young people.

The situation underscores a broader crisis of forced disappearances in the state, which ranks among the highest in Mexico with over 13,000 unresolved cases nationwide.