Ten Colima state police officers went missing on Thursday, May 28, after escorting a group of businessmen to the municipality of La Huerta in the neighboring state of Jalisco.

The Colima Ministry of Public Security (SSP) reported that the officers met the investors at the Playa de Oro International Airport in Manzanillo that day in order to escort them to La Huerta, about an hour’s drive away.

“When the state police officers were still in Jalisco, they completely lost communication with the emergency command center in Colima, for which we immediately solicited the collaboration of authorities from the three levels of government,” police said in a press release.

A search was organized by the Colima SSP, Jalisco authorities, the National Guard, the army and marines. Within hours the search operation located the three Colima police vehicles that had been used by the missing officers. They were found with the keys still inside and showed no signs of a struggle.

Media reports mentioned two other vehicles that were found in the community of Río El Mojo, about an hour and a half east of La Huerta on Friday, but did not specify how they were linked to the case of the missing officers. Authorities found blood stains and satchels containing personal items in the vehicles.

As for the businessmen the officers escorted, Colima police announced that they returned from La Huerta aboard a helicopter and are not in danger. However, two other civilians in the region were reported missing over the weekend.

Source: Sin Embargo (sp)