The State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) of Michoacán executed an arrest warrant against 18-year-old Alexander, identified as the alleged perpetrator behind the femicide of Valeria—the 15-year-old teenager who disappeared in Morelia and whose lifeless body was discovered a day later. The arrest also uncovered an extortion scheme targeting the victim’s family. (Politics in Mexico)
Valeria was last seen on the morning of Monday, May 25, around 11:30 a.m., in the 3 de Agosto neighborhood; she subsequently boarded a motorcycle with one of the individuals responsible for her death, and her whereabouts remained unknown until the following day. Alexander—detained as the alleged perpetrator—knew the victim and exploited the situation to abduct her and demand a ransom payment of 300,000 pesos.
Upon losing all contact with her, her relatives immediately went to file the corresponding missing person report, which led to the activation of an Amber Alert later that night. However, on Tuesday morning, neighbors discovered her body—bearing visible signs of torture—amidst the brush along a dirt path near the La Nopalera area, situated on the border between the Lomas de La Aldea and Buenos Aires neighborhoods, in the eastern part of the Michoacán state capital.
During the initial investigative proceedings, coordinated between the FGE and the Morelia Police, a technical detail altered the course of the inquiry: the minor’s cell phone continued to register digital and cellular activity even after her body had been recovered and transported to the Forensic Medical Service.
Following the suspect’s capture, Valeria’s parents issued a public statement requesting respect for their daughter’s memory and revealing the source of the aforementioned activity: Alexander “N” had the device in his possession and was actively using it to demand large sums of money from them in exchange for alleged information regarding the teenager’s whereabouts—thereby prolonging the family’s anguish through extortion even after the victim had already been killed.
Geolocation efforts, analysis of phone records, and the tracking of video surveillance footage enabled authorities to pinpoint the alleged femicide suspect’s location far from the capital. This Friday, agents from the Investigative Police (PDI) launched an operation in the municipal seat of Tacámbaro, where they successfully apprehended him.
The operation involved the joint participation of the Civil Guard’s Undersecretariat for Specialized Investigation, the Morelia Police, the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena), the National Guard (GN), and the federal Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC).
Amidst the public outrage sparked by this crime, feminist collectives, family members, and concerned citizens have called for a memorial and protest march to take place this Saturday, May 30, at 5:00 p.m. The contingent will set out from José María Morelos Plaza (known as “El Caballito”) and proceed toward the Government Palace in Morelia’s Historic Center, rallying under the central demand for the maximum penalty for the perpetrator and for security guarantees for the women of the region.
