A medical student from Arkansas who was allegedly kidnapped in Mexico has been found safe, Mexican officials confirmed on June 21.
Jessy Pacheco, 29, disappeared outside a nightclub on June 16, two days after graduating from the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in Jalisco, reported the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Hey y’all.
Jessy Pacheco is a Van Buren resident who just graduated from Medical School last week. He has gone missing in Guadalajara, Mexico and the person he was with has been found dead. Please share his pictures in hopes that he is found safe. His family needs him back. pic.twitter.com/afTQGdVbqA
— Irvin Camacho (@IrvinCamachoAR) June 18, 2019
“It is important to also say that Jessy Pacheco, the North American student who was reported missing, is safe and sound; he left on his way to the city of Dallas a few hours ago, accompanied by his mother,” wrote Governor of Jalisco Enrique Alfaro on Twitter on June 21.
Es importante también decir que Jessy Pacheco, el estudiante norteamericano reportado como desaparecido, está sano y salvo; ya salió rumbo a la ciudad de Dallas hace unas horas, acompañado de su madre.
— Enrique Alfaro (@EnriqueAlfaroR) June 21, 2019
An American medical student he was with that night was found dead, according to Mexican officials. He had been beaten and shot, KVOA reported.
Carlos Alejandro Delgadillo Romero’s body was sent to the United States and identified by his aunt, according to NBC News. The State Department responded to Romero’s death: “Out of respect for the privacy of the family, we have no further comment at this time.”
The circumstance under which Romero was found led authorities to suspect Pacheco had been kidnapped by the same group of men who had killed Romero, the news outlet reported.
State Prosecutor Gerardo Octavio Solís Gómez said that nine people were interviewed and more than 100 names of people who worked in that area were collected.
Pacheco had been missing for more than five days before being found by Mexican authorities. Details have so far been limited, reported NBC Nightly News.
Missing American medical student found alive in Mexico.
29-year-old Jessy Pacheco and a friend were celebrating their graduation when they were attacked and his friend was killed.https://t.co/rCof8Ms9PH@BreakingChesky has more.
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) June 23, 2019
Family Asks for Solitude
A member of the family, Francine Solis, posted on Facebook that Pacheco had been found alive and is back home in the United States. She said their family needs privacy and time to heal.
In a tweet no longer visible but previously cited by NBC Nightly News, Solis wrote, “Thank you again everyone who helped us find Jesse Pacheco. We wouldn’t have done it without all your help. God bless.”
Pacheco’s brother, Carlos Robles Franco, confirmed to the Democrat-Gazette his brother had been found alive: “Yes sir! Glory to God. He’s alive.”
The United States Department of State issued a level two travel advisory in April for travelers going to Mexico due to increased risk of crime and kidnappings.
Mexico saw a 24 percent increase in kidnappings in May compared with April, reported Alto al Secuestro, an association dedicated to preventing crime and violence in Mexico. There have been about five kidnappings per day in Mexico since December.
En #Jalisco van 22 casos de secuestro desde diciembre 2018, siendo Tlajomuco de Zúñiga el municipio donde más se presentan. @informador @muralcom pic.twitter.com/KIZYRG2WKi
— Alto al Secuestro (@altoalsecuestro) June 14, 2019