Where is Mary Lucero Mescco That is the question that has alerted the authorities of Mexico and Peru after the disappearance of the Peruvian citizen two of her nationals and another man of Mexican origin in the Mexican state of Jalisco in the west of the country.

The case which dates back to midAugust has gained momentum in recent days after the family of the missing woman denounced that despite having paid a ransom they had not heard from her or had no support from the authorities of both countries

The disappearance put the local prosecutors office in the spotlight after it became known that one of the last known traces of the victims was that they had been in the custody of the Atotonilco police a population of about 25000 inhabitants

Suspecting that it was a new case of forced disappearance the prosecutor on Wednesday denied any participation by state authorities and revealed new details of an investigation marked by extortion false information diplomatic contacts and the anguish of a family in Cusco 5000 kilometers from Jalisco

Mary Lucero Mescco 25 lived between 2015 and 2018 with her Peruvian husband in Mexico City The couple had a baby and they both worked in his mold factory In mid2018 the marriage separated He took the girl from him and did not let him bring her to Peru says his twin Mary Cielo Mescco by phone

The sister says that Mary Lucero was studying cooking in Cusco but dropped out of school to return to the Mexican capital in July 2019 where she had a grocery store and frequented a Mormon church to fight for the custody of her daughter

A few days before the disappearance Mary Lucero told her twin that she was traveling in a car to go on a trip to Guadalajara the capital of Jalisco and that on the way she would meet a Peruvian acquaintance

On the trip everything began to go wrong In the car he was with his acquaintance plus a Peruvian and a Mexican explains the sister The disappearance file identifies Mescco with long black hair and a light brown complexion As particular signs scars are described on one of her knees and on one of her arms stretch marks on her abdomen due to pregnancy and a small mole between her mouth and nose

The Office of the Prosecutor has announced that the four disappeared persons were arrested by the Atotonilco police on August 13 after being linked to an administrative offense which has not been clearly detailed

The four were in the municipal police station for two days and were released after the crime victim decided not to continue with the investigations according to the mayor in a version that has been supported by the Jalisco Prosecutors Office

At the Atotonilco police station there is no complaint against them replies Mesccos sister The wife of one of the Peruvians said that the prosecution or the police station had asked for bail but that they would not release them at that time at midnight but at eight in the morning he adds

The partner of one of the Peruvians and a lawyer went at that time he says but they had already been released at six in the morning Thats strange says the twin

Mary Lucero Mesccos sister holds a banner demanding the search for the young woman
Mary Lucero Mesccos sister holds a banner demanding the search for the young woman COURTESY
Gerardo Octavio Solís the state prosecutor has insisted that the disappeared today were never in a public ministry under his charge in what is read as an attempt to clarify the distribution of responsibilities and to distance himself from any suspicion of forced disappearance

Last June the death in police custody of Giovanni López a 20yearold who was arrested for not wearing a mask sparked outrage in Jalisco

Following the protests against police brutality there were new complaints of protesters who disappeared after being arrested and which sparked criticism for the actions of the State authorities the second with the most disappearances in the country with 10230 victims until last July according to official data

Solís has assured that the first complaint for the disappearance of the Peruvians was on August 18 According to this version the concubines of the other two Peruvians who were detained with Mescco informed the authorities that they could not find them but said they were Mexican and gave false names of the disappeared

It is not clear if it was an attempt to obstruct the investigation or if it was out of fear or mistrust in the Jalisco Prosecutors Office This led us to make mistakes because the information was not correct explained Solís who has omitted the names of the others involved because it was an open investigation

In those days a lawyer asked the complainants for 60000 pesos about 3000 10000 soles to take over the case and afterwards they did not hear from her according to the prosecutor

16 days after the disappearance the Mexican who is Mesccos current partner called the sister of the missing woman telling her that she had been kidnapped and that they were asking for money to pay a ransom The family assures that they asked for 235000 pesos 11000 dollars 40000 soles

According to the prosecutor the man offered to negotiate with the kidnappers but after making the payments the family lost contact with him There is no data that he has actually been a negotiator for the release of these people said Solís Subject to corroboration it sounds more like the opportunism with which he made that easy money deceiving the family he added

The sister says instead that Mary Luceros boyfriend paid most of the ransom and that there are vouchers and audios to prove it We do not have money we gave a part and he 67000 pesos That money was given to the kidnapper he says

The brides of the Peruvians says the sister were in charge of sending the money Neither the exhusband nor the current couple wanted to report the young womans disappearance to the Police The man said he didnt have time and the lover said that his nerves were bad he adds

On August 28 the family filed a complaint in Peru On August 31 the Peruvian consul in Guadalajara Alejandro Malacara clarified to the Jalisco Prosecutors Office that the first information was false presented new complaints and facilitated contact between family members and the Mexican authorities

This Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the aforementioned consular offices have been closely monitoring the progress of the investigations and maintain direct communication with the relatives of the disappeared national reads a tweet from the Peruvian Foreign Ministry last Friday

Prime Minister Walter Martos said on Thursday that after the resumption of flights the government will coordinate so that a relative can travel to Mexico and follow up on the case

In Jalisco the emphasis of prosecutors is on extortion of family members and practically nothing is known about the three men who accompanied the disappeared woman who lost track of her days after being in police custody

From Peru there is a desperate cry to find her with vigils outside the Judicial Power in Cusco and a sitin in the Tupac Amaru square one of the largest in the city

I had to go to the press for them to give me an answer about what they are doing for Lucero because he had no paper on his case claims the victims sister who until this Wednesday received the complaint document from the Peruvian Foreign Ministry After more than 60 days of investigations the question remains the same Where is Mary Lucero Mescco.