3 arrested in connection with the disappearance of an engineer, assistant from Tijuana

A leaflet sent to the media by the family of Alonso Guerrero Chávez, who have been searching for him since he disappeared with his assistant in March. (Courtesy: Alonso Guerrero Chávez family)

SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Three men were arrested Thursday in connection with the March disappearance of an engineer and his assistant, who prosecutors say were killed.

Alonso Guerrero Chávez and Rubén Rojas were surveying a plot of land for an urban development when they disappeared.

“Right now we have three people in custody,” said Baja California Attorney General María Elena Andrade Ramírez. “The engineer and his assistant were carrying out work in a high-crime area using a drone and other equipment, and the people arrested were taking drugs nearby.”

Andrade Ramírez said the suspects thought the engineer and his assistant were “spying on them.”

“Because they were only two years old, they were overwhelmed by the suspects and held against their will, and then they were killed and the attackers took their mobile phones and equipment.”

Andrade Ramírez said her officer was still trying to get the suspects to provide them with further details, including the location of the bodies that have not been found.

“We are finalizing the investigation,” she added. “The suspects have given us varying accounts of what happened as we continue to search for the missing men.”

Guerrero Chávez and his assistant worked for the city of Tijuana.

Since their disappearance, their families have been actively searching for them and lobbying the police and the city to make further efforts to find them.