There is a possibility that the female human remains discovered between Saturday and Sunday in the vicinity of El Castillo could belong to the two women who were abducted from a shopping center on the night of November 19, stated Isaac Aguayo Roacho, the Deputy Prosecutor for the State’s Southern Zone.
However, he clarified that genetic testing must necessarily be completed to ensure full identification—a process that could take approximately 15 days. Nevertheless, given the likelihood that the remains belong to the aforementioned individuals, the relevant division of the Attorney General’s Office (FGR)—which took over the investigation of this case in early January of this year—was notified on Sunday.
“We worked on the collection and processing of the discovery site; the remains were recovered, and we are currently in the identification phase. However, given the possibility that these are the women in question, we notified the Attorney General’s Office—specifically the division handling this matter—as early as yesterday (Sunday) regarding the likelihood that the remains belong to them. They are now apprised of the situation and will undoubtedly review their own forensic findings as well,” added Aguayo Roacho.
Between Saturday and Sunday—May 16 and 17—members of the collective Por las Voces Sin Justicia (For Voices Without Justice), during their most recent search in the vicinity of El Castillo (south of Mazatlán), reported the discovery of human remains belonging to two females; personnel from the State Attorney General’s Office subsequently took official cognizance of the finding.
It was on the night of November 19, 2025, that authorities received reports that armed individuals had abducted two women from the parking lot of a well-known retail store located in the Palos Prietos neighborhood of Mazatlán. The perpetrators left a minor child abandoned at the scene; moments later, personnel from the Municipal DIF System took custody of the child.
The abducted individuals were identified as Herminia Guadalupe Rivera Rendón—the wife of Mazatlán journalist Rafael Covantes—and her companion, Teresa de Jesús Morales Ontiveros. Following the discovery in the vicinity of El Castillo, the Deputy Prosecutor for the Southern Zone of Sinaloa clarified in an interview this Monday that forensic genetic analysis must necessarily be completed in order to accurately identify these remains.
“Here, forensic genetic analysis must necessarily be completed to accurately identify these remains; the clothing they were wearing—or rather, that the remains are wearing—is also taken into account. Therefore, if—based on the clothing, the objects found, and our records—there are potential candidates identified, or if it appears that the remains might belong to specific individuals, we immediately conduct direct comparisons with the relatives of the people who were being sought in this case,” he emphasized.
“However, the procedure here is to complete the genetic analysis. Due to the advanced state of decomposition in which they were found, it is not possible to identify the remains with the naked eye. The clothing serves as a clue—yes, the garments they are wearing are an indication—but obviously, this cannot be sufficient grounds to state with absolute certainty that these are the individuals we are searching for.”
He stated that a technical procedure must be carried out in the genetics laboratories—a process that can take up to 15 days in cases of this nature. The duration will also depend on the specific remains and the condition in which they were found, which determines how difficult or easy it is to obtain a genetic profile.
“But given the specific circumstances of this case, it should not take longer than 15 days,” the Deputy Prosecutor reiterated regarding the estimated time required to identify the human remains.
“At least some of the clothing matches [the garments worn by the individuals who were deprived of their liberty on November 19 of last year]; this will certainly serve as a basis for conducting direct comparisons with their relatives. However, we cannot yet state with absolute certainty that the remains belong to both of them,” he continued during the interview.
Regarding the report issued by the Sinaloa State Attorney General’s Office—which described the discovery as the “mummified bodies” of two individuals—he explained that the specific location and environmental conditions in which the remains were found trigger a natural process that influences the decomposition of the body; however, he noted that it is the specialists who are best qualified to provide a detailed explanation regarding this phenomenon. He reiterated that, from the moment the report regarding the deprivation of liberty was filed, genetic samples were collected from relatives of the two individuals held captive, and these will be cross-referenced against the samples taken from the remains that were discovered.
“It must also be remembered that this is a case being handled by the federal authorities; for our part, we have notified the Federation, and the Federation will undoubtedly make immediate contact with them [the relatives of the individuals held captive],” stated Aguayo Roacho.
Source: noroeste
