The Rev. Clemente Morales Topete returned safely to his Culiacán parish three days after disappearing, bringing relief as authorities continue investigating.
The Rev. Clemente Morales Topete returned to his parish in Culiacán on Tuesday, October 27, three days after disappearing, bringing relief to parishioners who had gathered to pray and call for his safe return. Sinaloa’s Public Security Secretariat confirmed that he had been located safe and that authorities were continuing their investigation.
The 67-year-old priest arrived driving his own vehicle at Cristo Resucitado parish in the La Campiña neighborhood church. Authorities went to the parish, but the reviewed accounts did not explain where he had been or what happened during his absence.
Morales Topete was last seen around 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, after a medical appointment in the Montebello neighborhood. People close to him said he left in a dark gray Toyota Hilux to return to the parish, where he was scheduled to celebrate Mass an hour later. When he failed to arrive and they lost contact with him, those close to him began searching and sought help from authorities.
By Monday, parishioners had gathered outside the state government palace with candles and prayers, urging authorities to find him. News of his return the following morning brought relief, although questions about his disappearance remained unanswered.
Fellow priest Julio César Vizcarra welcomed the news and said investigators should establish what happened. He said Morales Topete was reportedly undergoing a medical evaluation, while making clear that he had not yet seen him personally and did not know the details of his condition.
Diocesan spokesman Saúl Norzagaray separately confirmed the return and said more information would be released through a statement. The priest’s arrival ended the immediate uncertainty over his whereabouts, but authorities had not publicly explained the circumstances of his absence. The reviewed reporting does not establish a kidnapping or an organized-crime connection.
