After more than five months of uncertainty, forensic authorities identified civil engineer Pablo Osorio Sánchez, 26, who had been missing since January 23, 2026, in the municipality of Concordia, Sinaloa. The young man, originally from the municipality of Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca, was working in the region for the construction company CICAR S.A. de C.V.
The identification was confirmed on July 1 at the Federal Forensic Medical Center. With this finding, the young graduate of the Technological Institute of Tlaxiaco formally becomes the tenth body of one of the workers recovered from the clandestine graves located in the community of El Verde, in the mountainous region of Concordia.
Pablo Osorio was in Sinaloa completing his professional residency and working as a tunnel supervisor on the Durango-Mazatlán highway. On the morning of January 23, he was waiting for transportation to his work site while on a phone call with his partner. The call was abruptly cut off, and all trace of him was lost. After a series of arrests, it was determined that the La Chapiza faction ordered the abduction, torture, and execution of the miners after they failed to pay extortion money.
That same day, other workers and technicians linked to both the CICAR company and the Canadian mining firm Vizsla Silver Corp. disappeared simultaneously, triggering a security crisis in the region and mobilizing search groups.
By February 3, law enforcement authorities had located clandestine graves in El Verde, from which they exhumed several bodies. One of the remains was initially categorized under the code “C.” Although months later the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) reported an initial genetic match, the family requested further forensic analysis, deeming the initial findings insufficient. The result was finally confirmed this week through direct identification and additional molecular analysis.
The mayor of Tlaxiaco, Jorge Octavio Hernández Martínez, expressed his regret over the outcome of the case and confirmed that the City Council provided logistical and financial support to the victim’s mother for her travel to federal authorities and the subsequent repatriation of the body to his home state.
“A few days ago, I was in contact with his mother, who came to inform me that DNA tests had confirmed the discovery of Pablo’s body. From that moment on, we provided the necessary support so they could travel and make the identification,” the mayor explained.
The remains of the civil engineer will lie in state on Saturday, July 4, in the town of El Vergelito, Ejido Ojo de Agua, in Tlaxiaco. A funeral mass will be held on Sunday, July 5, prior to his burial in his hometown.
Family members and members of the Oaxacan community stated that, while the return of his remains eases the agony of the search, the case remains open, with the firm demand for truth, the clarification of the facts, and the punishment of those responsible for the wave of violence affecting the border region between Sinaloa and Durango.
