José Luis Vega Parra, a physician at the El Castillo Penitentiary Center in Mazatlán, has been missing since October 23, according to the Sinaloa State Search Commission (CEBP).
The commission has issued a search notice requesting public assistance in locating the prison employee. The last communication with him took place last Friday at 8:30 a.m., at which time he indicated he was in the municipality of El Rosario; his whereabouts have been unknown since then.
At the time of his disappearance, 48-year-old José Luis Vega Parra was wearing a blue shirt bearing the emblem of the Center for the Execution of the Legal Consequences of Crime (CECJUDE) along with his name.
He has a fair complexion, a round face, small black eyes, a wide nose, a shaved head, sparse eyebrows, and a medium-sized mouth. He is of a robust build and stands 170 centimeters (approx. 5’7″) tall.
Distinguishing features include several moles and a scar on his left eyebrow. He also has tattoos on his back and both arms, including medical-related images and symbols, a red phoenix, and a lion.
The CEBP requests that anyone with information regarding his whereabouts contact them by phone at 669-3278424 or via email at cebpd@sinaloa.gob.mx.
Altercation at El Castillo prison leaves 12 dead
On October 8, 2026, an altercation occurred at the El Castillo Penitentiary Center, located on the Mexico 15 free highway in the southern part of Mazatlán.
According to information from the Sinaloa Secretariat of Public Security (SSP), the altercation took place around 11:00 a.m., during visiting hours. An internal report from the penitentiary alerted the C4 (Control, Computing, and Command Center) to the sound of gunfire inside the prison; shortly thereafter, Téllez López arrived, along with personnel from the Secretariat of National Defense, the National Guard, and the State Police.
