Missing Chicago Couple Found Dead In Mass Grave In Mexico: Reports

MEXICO CITY — A missing Chicago couple were among several bodies found this week in a mass grave outside Mexico City, according to multiple reports citing their family.

Zafar Padamsee Mawani, a U.S. citizen, and his partner, Guillermo Jafett Hidalgo Ortiz, both 56, first disappeared in late May in a neighborhood located in the far southern part of Mexico City, The Associated Press and ABC7 Chicago reported. The couple had moved from Chicago to Mexico City together in October.

“We are grateful beyond words to everyone who tried to help bring Zafar home to us — investigators on the ground, our core strategy and support team, authorities in both countries, generous volunteer organizations, as well as friends and loved ones who stepped forward to help without being asked,” the family wrote in a statement Wednesday.

NBC News Chicago reported last month that the men were spending time in Mexico to care for Mawani’s elderly mother with Alzheimer's. The outlet also reported unusual withdrawals from the couple’s bank accounts.

Reports said the men were apparently going to get equipment from an alleged contractor for Mawani's mother before they went missing.

Mexican news outlet Infobae reported the couple's bodies were among four found in a grave in a recreational area in La Marquesa National Park, located just southwest of Mexico City.

The outlet reported that the bodies showed signs of violence, and a human limb was also found on the property.

More than 135,000 people are missing in Mexico, according to the latest federal data obtained by The Associated Press, a figure tied largely to criminal violence. The total has continued to rise even as homicides have fallen sharply since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office in 2024.

Mexico’s official missing persons registry shows 977 people were reported missing in May.