The 79-year-old Lambertina Galeana Marín is accused of ordering the destruction of crucial CCTV footage that could shed light on the case, which remains one of Mexico's most haunting mysteries.
Retired Judge Arrested in Connection with Disappearance of 43 Students in Mexico
Retired Judge Arrested in Connection with Disappearance of 43 Students in Mexico
A retired judge has been arrested for her alleged involvement in concealing evidence related to the infamous 2014 disappearance of 43 students in Mexico.
The arrest was made in Chilpancingo three years post the issued warrant, as families continue to seek justice for their missing loved ones.
Police in Mexico have taken into custody Lambertina Galeana Marín, a retired judge formerly serving as the president of the Superior Tribunal of Justice in Guerrero, over her alleged role in tampering with crucial evidence in the 2014 disappearance of 43 students from Iguala. Galeana, now 79, is suspected of having given the directive to erase CCTV footage considered pivotal to the investigation. The arrest occurred in Chilpancingo, three years after an arrest warrant was issued against her.
The case, which has haunted Mexico for over a decade, involves students from a teacher training college in Ayotzinapa who went missing on the night of September 26, 2014. While the remains of three students have been recovered, the fate of the remaining 40 is still shrouded in mystery, as they are widely believed to have been murdered. A 2022 report from a government commission highlighted that the crime was state-sponsored, implicating both state and federal authorities.
Local police reportedly collaborated with the criminal group Guerreros Unidos to forcibly disappear the students, who were in Iguala to commandeer buses for a protest in Mexico City. Allegations suggest that Guerreros Unidos, fearing the students had been infiltrated by a rival gang, worked with the police to intercept them.
At the time, a significant roadblock was set up near the Palace of Justice, where CCTV captures of the incident were supposed to provide vital evidence. Yet, when authorities sought this footage nearly a year later, it had mysteriously disappeared. Prosecutors allege that it was Galeana who ordered the footage's destruction. In an official statement, Mexico's security ministry has indicated that she will face charges related to forced disappearance. The case continues to draw attention as families desperately seek answers regarding their missing sons amidst the ongoing struggles within Mexico’s drug war.
Police in Mexico have taken into custody Lambertina Galeana Marín, a retired judge formerly serving as the president of the Superior Tribunal of Justice in Guerrero, over her alleged role in tampering with crucial evidence in the 2014 disappearance of 43 students from Iguala. Galeana, now 79, is suspected of having given the directive to erase CCTV footage considered pivotal to the investigation. The arrest occurred in Chilpancingo, three years after an arrest warrant was issued against her.
The case, which has haunted Mexico for over a decade, involves students from a teacher training college in Ayotzinapa who went missing on the night of September 26, 2014. While the remains of three students have been recovered, the fate of the remaining 40 is still shrouded in mystery, as they are widely believed to have been murdered. A 2022 report from a government commission highlighted that the crime was state-sponsored, implicating both state and federal authorities.
Local police reportedly collaborated with the criminal group Guerreros Unidos to forcibly disappear the students, who were in Iguala to commandeer buses for a protest in Mexico City. Allegations suggest that Guerreros Unidos, fearing the students had been infiltrated by a rival gang, worked with the police to intercept them.
At the time, a significant roadblock was set up near the Palace of Justice, where CCTV captures of the incident were supposed to provide vital evidence. Yet, when authorities sought this footage nearly a year later, it had mysteriously disappeared. Prosecutors allege that it was Galeana who ordered the footage's destruction. In an official statement, Mexico's security ministry has indicated that she will face charges related to forced disappearance. The case continues to draw attention as families desperately seek answers regarding their missing sons amidst the ongoing struggles within Mexico’s drug war.
