Patricia Negrete, Mexican searcher for missing persons, murdered in Guanajuato

Patricia Negrete Tafoya, a mother who joined the search‑and‑rescue collective Una Promesa por Cumplir after her sister vanished in 2021, was shot dead on the night of 23 June 2024 as she left the Regional Hospital in Penjamo, Guanajuato. She was riding a motorcycle when armed assailants on another motorcycle opened fire, killing her instantly. State police, public security forces and the Mexican army secured the scene, collected ballistic evidence and began an investigation, but no arrests have been reported.

The killing marks the fourth murder of a searcher in Guanajuato in six years, prompting outrage from human‑rights groups and the collective, which vowed to continue demanding justice. A funeral ceremony held on 25‑26 June drew hundreds of mourners who remembered Negrete as a solidary and dedicated activist, and reiterated calls for a swift and thorough inquiry into the crime.