In memoriam...
 

 Victor Manuel Jimenez

Víctor Manuel Jiménez Campos had been missing since November 1, 2020, when he left his home in Celaya to attend a baseball game he was set to broadcast on his news page. It was only this Monday, June 10, 2024, that the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) returned the remains identified as his to his family.

​

Three and a half years passed without locating Víctor Manuel, despite at least two statements from Attorney General Carlos Zamarripa Aguirre about "significant advances" in the investigation and search efforts to find him.

​

According to information from the FGE, though not officially confirmed, the reporter’s skeletal remains, who primarily focused on crime reporting and “red note” in various media outlets and digital pages, were found "this year"(2024)—without a specified date—in an abandoned water well in the community of Torrecillas, Villagrán municipality.

​

This is an area known to be within the influence of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel.

According to the Attorney General's data, remains were recovered from this location "in conditions of posthumous dignity for subsequent identification" by the agency’s designated forensic teams.

On June 10th, 2024, the FGE notified his family.

​

Some of his friends and fellow reporters confirmed the identification in social media posts.

These posts mention his career, including his work with the Nota Roja de Celaya page, Digital Noticias, and finally Rotativa Digital de Guanajuato, where he spent about four years.

In late October, Víctor Manuel’s friends lost contact with him when he stopped responding to messages.

​

Luisito Informa, a friend of Víctor, posted: “It was almost the end of October 2020, dear friend, when you stopped answering my calls and messages. I learned you never returned home, and I still don’t understand what happened. Three years and eight months have passed since we last heard from you.”

​

The search record for Víctor specifies that he was 38 years old when last seen on November 1, 2020, at a baseball field in the community of Elguera, Celaya. He was known as "El Gordo." His disappearance was reported to the authorities on November 4. During a search through the farmland in the area by friends and family, they found his clothing: a T-shirt and one of his sneakers, both stained with blood. After that, there were no further leads.

​

A few days later, reporter Israel Vázquez Rangel, from El Salmantino, was murdered in Salamanca on November 9 while covering a crime scene on Salamanca 400 Avenue.

Dozens of reporters from various media outlets protested outside the Attorney General's Office and the state government building, demanding the location of Víctor and justice for Israel’s murder.

 

In Israel's case, the two material perpetrators were arrested, tried, and sentenced to up to 20 years in prison, though the intellectual author remains unaccounted for.

​

Meanwhile, on June 11, 2024, Víctor Manuel’s remains were laid to rest in his hometown Celaya.

​

​

​

Translated articles from:  https://www.proceso.com.mx/nacional/estados/2024/6/11/localizan-los-restos-del-reportero-victor-manuel-jimenez-desaparecido-en-2020-en-celaya-330836.html