After seven years of relentless searching, Ceci Flores has located the remains of her son, Marco Antonio, in a desert area of Sonora, Mexico. The discovery was made in late March near Hermosillo, the location where the young man was abducted by an armed group in May 2019, according to reports from France 24.
Flores, a prominent figure known for leading search collectives in northern Mexico, shared her grief in a video. "No mother deserves to find not her son, but his bones; to be able to hold only his bones in her arms," Flores said in footage released on March 24.
A DNA analysis conducted days after the discovery confirmed the identity of the remains. Flores had been able to identify the bones due to clothing found with them that matched what Marco Antonio was wearing on the day he disappeared.
"The remains discovered in recent days belong to my son [...] The DNA test confirmed what I feared so much," Flores wrote on March 31.
The location of the remains was determined after following information provided by an individual involved in the disappearance, who was subsequently interrogated by authorities, according to France 24.
Mexico's disappearance crisis
This case is part of a persistent humanitarian crisis in the country. According to a national registry established in 2019, Mexico has more than 133,000 officially missing or unlocated persons—a figure that could be significantly higher due to a lack of reports driven by fear or distrust of institutions.
Criminal groups are responsible for a large portion of these disappearances. However, a recent UN report indicates that some public officials also bear direct and indirect responsibility for these crimes.
Flores explained that in her son's specific case, a cartel was responsible for the crime. Although the young man ran a food and beverage business, she clarified that he had no ties to the criminal group.
Search collectives, such as the one led by Flores, operate to fill the void left by government inaction in a country where victims include men, women, and even children.
