Authorities find 4 bodies outside Mexico City while searching for a missing American

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MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities were working Friday to identify four bodies found on the outskirts of Mexico City as part of the search efforts to locate a married couple who disappeared in May while living in Chicago and Mexico.

An official from the State of Mexico prosecutor’s office, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make public statements, said his department located the bodies in response to a request for assistance from investigators in the capital.

The Mexico City prosecutors were investigating the May disappearance of the couple, Zafar Padamese Mawani and Guillermo Jafett Hidalgo Ortiz, in the southern part of the capital and had made arrests related to the case.

Mawani and Hidalgo Ortiz lived in Chicago and Mexico City, according to Cate Taylor, a spokesperson for Mawani's family. NBC News Chicago reported in late May that the men were spending time in Mexico to care for Mawani’s mother. The outlet also reported unusual withdrawals from the couple’s bank accounts.

According to the federal government’s official missing-person bulletin, Mawani is 56 and a U.S. citizen. The bulletin for Hidalgo Ortiz, issued by Mexico City authorities, states that he is also 56. It does not specify his nationality, but notes that he was with Mawani when they disappeared south of Mexico City, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) east of the mountains of La Marquesa National Park.

Mexico City prosecutors have not released details about the case. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico said they were aware of the case in a brief message to AP, but did not offer more details. The family has had representatives in Mexico City working with authorities, Taylor said.

More than 135,000 people are missing in Mexico as a product of criminal violence, according to the most recent federal data. The number missing continues to climb even as homicide figures have sharply dropped since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office in 2024.

A total of 977 people were reported missing in Mexico during the month of May, according to the country’s official missing persons registry.

In recent days, relatives’ groups have staged protests while Mexico serves as a co-host of the FIFA World Cup. They are demanding greater attention to the issue and more resources for searches, which are generally led by family members themselves. One of their recurring complaints is that authorities act more quickly when the missing people are foreigners.