Lambertina Galeana Marín, a former judge in Guerrero, has been arrested for allegedly ordering the destruction of CCTV footage crucial to the unsolved case involving the disappearance of 43 trainee teachers almost a decade ago. Investigations suggest a cover-up involving local police and a criminal organization.
Arrest of Retired Judge Links to Infamous Disappearance of 43 Students in Mexico
Arrest of Retired Judge Links to Infamous Disappearance of 43 Students in Mexico
A retired Mexican judge is accused of evidence tampering in the suspected state involvement in the 2014 case of missing students.
In a significant development concerning one of Mexico's most haunting mysteries, police have detained Lambertina Galeana Marín, a retired judge who once served as the president of the Superior Tribunal of Justice in Guerrero. The 79-year-old faces serious allegations of tampering with evidence linked to the 2014 disappearance of 43 students from the Ayotzinapa teacher training college.
The missing individuals vanished during a protest on September 26, 2014, and despite ongoing investigations, their fate remains unresolved. Three of the students' remains have been discovered, but the other forty are believed to have been killed, with families continuing to demand justice. A 2022 investigation revealed the disturbing involvement of state authorities alongside local police and the criminal group Guerreros Unidos in the students' forced disappearance.
Witness statements indicate that local police were alerted to the students' actions as they attempted to commandeer buses for a protest in Mexico City. Fearful of their intentions, Guerreros Unidos believed they were infiltrated by a rival gang, which prompted law enforcement to set up multiple roadblocks, including one near the Palace of Justice. Reports indicated that the palace's CCTV recorded the events; however, when investigators sought the footage almost a year later, it had mysteriously vanished.
Prosecutors now contend that Galeana is responsible for the order to destroy this footage, undermining the integrity of the investigation. The Mexican Ministry of Security confirmed that she faces charges related to forced disappearance. This case continues to resonate deeply within the families of the missing students and represents broader issues of corruption and impunity within Mexican authorities.
