California Teen Goes Missing While Buying Food in Mexico Visit

The family of a Northern California teen is desperate to find him after he went missing during a trip to Mexico.

Based on the last information about the teen before he disappeared, the 19-year-old Manuel Reyes arrived in Lagos de Moreno in Jalisco in early April to visit his sister. Reyes went out on a Sunday night and never returned.

According to NBC Los Angeles, his sister, who preferred to remain anonymous, stated that they were supposed to hang out that day. She also mentioned that she called him and asked what time the California teen is going to arrive. Reyes said that he was already on his way, and just made a stop to buy something to eat.

Moreover, Reyes's mother, who lives in Hayward, a northern city of California, stated that the last time they spoke, the missing teen told her that he would be back soon. The mother mentioned that Reyes told her not to worry as he will be leaving soon and he will arrive on Thursday.

The heavily affected mother shared she does not want to enter Reyes' room at all. She added that she does not want to see his clothes or anything that Reyes owns because it reminds her of him going out.

"Missing in Mexico"

Meanwhile, the residents of Lagos de Moreno confirmed that many individuals went missing in the region. They also added that most of those missing persons are individuals aging between 13 and 22 years old.

Also, the president of the Citizens Committee for Public Safety in Tijuana, Genaro de la Torre, which is one of the most violent cities in Mexico, stated that tourists have to take precautionary measures when visiting the country. He also reminded the tourists not to bring too much cash and try only to bring the least.

De la Torre also added that he does not recommend tourists visit some places at night as it is dangerous. He also advised them to go to places where there is more movement as it is safer there.

Furthermore, Diana Delgadiño, the head of the Social Communication of Tepatiplán, which is a city next to Lagos de Moreno, stated that when an individual was reported missing, all alerts are activated. Delgadiño also shared that they are communicating between police stations to close the circles and check the area to find the clues.

On the other hand, since Reyes is a United States citizen, the U.S. authorities are currently putting pressure on the police department of Lagos de Moreno to find him.

'Identifying Features'

Fernanda Valadez, a Mexican film-maker, debuted her piercing feature that explores her country's crisis with missing persons. Based on the information, in the past 15 years, around 70,000 individuals have disappeared in Mexico, KENS 5 reported.

Valadez captured the stories of individuals who were still questioning if their loved ones were still alive, The Guardian reported.