The Olea Ramírez brothers, four Mexican children, were last seen on September 17 in a community in the municipality of Acapulco. Three days later, they were reported missing; their whereabouts remain a mystery. The police do not have information about the exact location where their trail was lost, nor about who notified their disappearance to Locatel, the agency that issues search alerts. María del Rosario, 13 years old; Grisel, 12; Jesús, 10; and Yoel, 8, left their home together and have not been identified by the residents of Kilometer 30, their last known whereabouts. The municipal commissioner, Adán Casarrubias, has stated that, despite the searches and cooperation with the state's prosecutor's office, there have been no advances in locating the minors.
The disappearance of these children coincides with a troubling statistic in Mexico, a country where cases of missing minors have risen significantly. Guerrero, the state where the brothers' disappearance was reported, is one of the states with high numbers of child disappearances, with 313 cases. The disappearances of minors have increased this year nationwide, reaching historic levels, driven by an increase since 2006 following the start of the War on Drugs. Despite efforts, 15.4% of missing minors in Mexico are not located, and one in every 100 is found dead, according to the Children's Rights Network. The figures show a particular concern for girls and adolescents, who are the most often reported as missing.
Read the full news article on The Country.
