Tamaulipas missing persons crisis reaches record 14,072 cases

The missing persons crisis in Tamaulipas has reached a record high, with official statistics reporting 14,072 cases as of September 2026. Of these, 32.3% are women aged 15 to 24, and 11.4% are children or youths.

Local activist groups, including Amor por los Desaparecidos, claim the official figures significantly underrepresent the reality. Edith González, president of the collective, stated that the number of cases reported directly to them exceeds official records by more than 100%. She attributed this discrepancy to structural distrust in public ministries and a pervasive fear of retaliation among families.

In the border municipality of Reynosa, the collective reports nearly 500 cases of forced disappearance annually, in addition to approximately 100 kidnappings. So far in 2026, the group has conducted 124 field searches, locating 44 clandestine graves and extermination sites containing skeletal remains.