Recent Arrests and Murders in Latin America

Mexican authorities have arrested a retired judge, Lambertina Galeana, in connection with the 2014 disappearance and presumed murder of 43 students from a rural teacher training college. Galeana, the former president of the Superior Court of Justice in Guerrero state, is accused of helping to conceal security camera videos that allegedly showed the students being kidnapped by armed men. The case is one of Mexico's worst human rights atrocities and has become emblematic of a missing persons crisis, with over 120,000 people disappeared. Investigators believe the students were abducted by a drug cartel with the help of corrupt police, and a truth commission branded the case a "state crime" with the military sharing responsibility.

Colombian police have arrested Miguel Antonio Rodríguez Díaz, the alleged main suspect in the murder of 13 kidnapped workers at a gold mine in Peru. Rodríguez Díaz, also known as "Cuchillo", was arrested in Medellin, Colombia, in a joint operation with Peruvian authorities and Interpol. He is accused of ordering the storming of the mine, kidnapping, and homicide, and is expected to be extradited to Peru. The killings occurred when the victims were sent to confront a group that had occupied the mine, and were ambushed and seized. The incident has prompted Peru's President to impose a night-time curfew and suspend mining activities in the region.

A 23-year-old Mexican social media influencer, Valeria Marquez, was shot dead during a TikTok livestream at her beauty salon in Zapopan, a suburb of Guadalajara. Marquez, who had tens of thousands of followers, was seen on the livestream saying "they're coming" before being fatally shot by a man who reportedly pretended to bring her a gift. The motive is unknown, and an investigation is underway. The region is known for high levels of criminal activity, but authorities have found no evidence linking the killing to a criminal group. Marquez's murder is the latest in a string of violent killings in Mexico, where around 10 women or girls are murdered daily.