Chicago Gay Couple Found Dead in Mexico Mass Grave
Authorities arrested seven people after the bodies of Zafar Mawani and Guillermo Ortiz were found in a mass grave outside Mexico City.
A gay couple from Chicago who had been living in Mexico City before disappearing in May were found dead in a mass grave alongside two other bodies.
Zafar Padamsee Mawani, 56, a U.S. citizen, and Guillermo Jaffet Hidalgo Ortiz, 56, moved from Chicago to Mexico City in October, settling in the capital’s far southern reaches, Ortiz’s niece told Chicago ABC affiliate WLS-TV.
The men were reportedly planning to pick up a chairlift for Mawani’s elderly mother, who has Alzheimer’s disease, on May 20 when they disappeared without a trace. The sellers had asked the couple to meet at Mawani’s mother’s home, where the chairlift was being installed, to complete the purchase. Before losing contact, the men shared their real-time location with a friend.
Those close to the investigation reported unusual withdrawals from the couple’s bank accounts.
On June 17, Mexican authorities found the bodies of Mawani and Ortiz in a mass grave in a wooded area on a property in La Marquesa, in the municipality of Ocoyoacac on the outskirts of Mexico City. A human limb was also reportedly found nearby.
The other victims are believed to be a married couple, ages 56 and 38. Their identities have not been released.
Mawani’s family publicly identified the couple on June 24.
“We are grateful beyond words to everyone who tried to help bring Zafar home to us — investigators on the ground, our core strategy and support team, authorities in both countries, generous volunteer organizations, as well as friends and loved ones who stepped forward to help without being asked,” the family said in a statement.
“It was horrible, because in Mexico so many people go missing every day,” Maggie Reynoso, a friend who used to style Ortiz, told CBS News of the men’s deaths. Reynoso said the couple “were going everywhere, dressing very glamorous, even though we told them to be safe.”
“Guillermo…doesn’t think that anybody would do any harm,” she said. “Somebody who did this to him doesn’t have a heart.”
Police arrested five people in Mexico City in connection with the murders, including a former police officer identified as “Yesenia V.,” who authorities allege led a kidnapping and robbery gang, according to Infobae.
Authorities said four other suspects — Adán N., Selena N., Jesús N., and Daniel N. — were found in possession of high-powered weapons, ammunition, bags of narcotics, and a black suitcase at the time of their arrests.
Police also arrested two Venezuelan nationals, Gabriel M. and Roberick, who were allegedly linked to Mawani and Ortiz’s disappearance.
Mexico City prosecutors have not released details about any charges in connection with the killings. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico told The Associated Press it was aware of the case but declined to provide additional information.
A GoFundMe has been launched for Mawani’s family seeking $50,000 to help cover expenses related to the investigation and criminal case, burial costs, travel expenses related to the couple’s disappearance, and care for Mawani’s mother.
More than 135,000 people have gone missing in Mexico as a result of criminal violence. The number of missing persons has increased by more than 200% over the past decade, even as homicides have fallen 40% under President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has pledged greater support for efforts to locate the country’s missing.
About 22,000 missing people were found alive last year — the highest number recovered alive in a single year, according to The New York Times.
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