Jenny Kalindy Bolívar Guayacundo, an Ecuadorian doctoral student at the Center for Research and Higher Studies in Social Anthropology (CIESAS), was found alive near Huipulco in the Tlalpan borough after having been missing for ten days, the Mexico City Prosecutor’s Office reported.
The young woman was reported missing on August 26, when she was last seen in the Santo Domingo neighborhood of the Coyoacán borough.
Following a search lasting several days, investigations led the Prosecutor’s Office to conduct an operation at the property where she was staying—located on Nauyaca Street, Block 7—resulting in the site being secured at midnight on Friday.
After she was located, specialized personnel transported her to a hospital for medical assessment and care. Her life is not in danger.
The agency expressed its gratitude for the collaboration of her support network, the academic community, and the individuals who participated in the search.
Family highlights public support and assistance during the search
Locating Jenny Kalindy Bolívar Guayacundo was made possible thanks to public solidarity and the intervention of an individual who, upon learning of the public report regarding her disappearance, provided information about her whereabouts.
In a statement, Jenny’s family noted that coordinated efforts involving her personal circle, social organizations, and the academic community helped raise awareness of the case, while the dissemination of news about her disappearance contributed to obtaining information on her location.
Academic colleagues, educational institutions, support networks, social organizations, and media outlets also participated in the search.
The document notes that this mobilization kept the case in the public eye and enabled demands for the Attorney General’s Office and the Mexico City Search Commission to activate search protocols. She noted that this demonstrates, once again, that there are still many challenges to be resolved regarding missing persons cases in Mexico; a key challenge is the implementation of increasingly specialized protocols by investigative authorities (prosecutor’s offices) and search agencies (search commissions).
She made this point because, although there was an attempt to apply the standardized search protocol with a gender perspective, there are no specific, clear measures for handling cases involving foreign nationals on the move who also have psychosocial conditions requiring specialized care due to their heightened vulnerability.
She stated, “While we acknowledge the efforts of all the authorities involved—including the attention given to the case, the meetings, and the actions taken—our joy cannot make us forget that the struggle must continue. There are more than 135,000 missing or unaccounted-for persons in Mexico. Behind that figure lie lives and thousands of families still waiting for answers. We must raise our voices for all those who remain missing.”
She mentioned that the search for Kalindy “allows us to reaffirm the urgent need for increasing specialization in the work of those obligated to search for and investigate disappearances in this country.”
Finally, she expressed her gratitude to the individuals, organizations, collectives, academic institutions, and media outlets that participated in the search for the student and helped keep her case in the public eye.
In particular, she acknowledged the Foundation for Justice (Fundación para la Justicia) and the organization *Una Luz en el Camino* for their work regarding the judicial process, advocacy efforts, the search itself, and psychosocial support. She also thanked social organizations and search collectives for their solidarity.
