Former Guerrero governor Angel Aguirre was arrested over potential complicity in concealing evidence in the 2014 disappearance of 43 students, the general prosecutor's office announced on Thursday.
The prosecutor's office said that Aguirre is accused of possible involvement in hiding evidence that could reveal the fate of the young victims. Aguirre, who is currently 70 years old, served as governor of Guerrero at the time of the events.
The 43 students from a school in Ayotzinapa vanished on September 26, 2014, in the southern state of Guerrero. They were traveling by bus to the capital to participate in a protest when they disappeared.
Authorities have confirmed the discovery of only three bodies to date, and the location of the remaining victims remains unknown. Dozens of people have faced prosecution in connection with the case, but no individual has been convicted.
Investigation of the Disappearance
Aguirre took leave in October 2014 and resigned from office before completing his term. He has remained on the sidelines of public life since his resignation.
An initial investigation conducted under former president Enrique Peña Nieto, who served from 2012 to 2018, concluded that the students were killed, their bodies incinerated, and their ashes dumped into a river in Guerrero state.
His successor, former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who governed from 2018 to 2024, ordered a new inquiry and labeled the case a state crime. Both investigations agreed that the students were attacked by a gang that employed local police officers.
Current Government Response
Current President Claudia Sheinbaum has made the case a national priority. Sheinbaum said her goals are to make the truth known, deliver justice, and locate the young people nearly 12 years after their disappearance.
