3 arrested in connection with disappearance of Tijuana engineer and assistant

A leaflet distributed to the media by the family of Alonso Guerrero Chávez, who have been searching for him since he disappeared in March along with his assistant. (Courtesy of Alonso Guerrero Chávez’s 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 disappeared while surveying a plot of land for an urban project.

“We currently have three people in custody,” said Baja California Attorney General María Elena Andrade Ramírez. “The engineer and his assistant were working in a high-crime area, using a drone and other equipment, and the people in custody were using drugs.”

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

“Since there were only two of them, they were overpowered by the suspects and held against their will, then killed, and the attackers took their mobile phones and equipment.”

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

“We are finalizing the investigation,” she added. “The suspects gave us varying accounts of what happened as we continued 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.