The mayor of Taxco, a popular tourist town in Guerrero, and his father were rescued on Monday after both men went missing, authorities said.
Juan Vega Arredondo, a 68-year-old doctor and director of a hospital in Taxco, was allegedly abducted by armed men on Saturday after he was intercepted while driving on the Taxco-Cuernavaca highway.
Morena party Mayor Juan Andrés Vega Carranza set out to find his father but was allegedly kidnapped while he was trying to negotiate his release.
Federal Security Minister Omar García Harfuch announced on social media on Monday afternoon that both men had been located alive. He said that México state police found the men after a federal operation that involved a ground deployment of security forces supported by helicopters.
“Both are safe. Operations to detain those responsible will continue,” García Harfuch wrote.
The mayor and his father were found in the México state municipality of Zacualpan, which borders Guerrero. The motive for their alleged abductions was unclear.
More than 500 security force members, including soldiers, marines, National Guard officers and police were involved in the federal operation to locate Vega Carranza and Vega Arredondo.
La Familia Michoacana identified as perpetrator of abductions
At President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Tuesday morning press conference, García Harfuch said that Vega Arredondo was reported as missing on Saturday. He said that no demand for ransom was made.
The security minister said that an initial operation to locate Vega Arredondo commenced at the point on the Taxco-Cuernavaca highway where he was allegedly intercepted. He said his vehicle was found on Sunday.
🔴 La Familia Michoacana estaría detrás de s3cu3stro de alcalde de Taxco y su padre: García Harfuch.
Esto es lo que se cree de acuerdo con las primeras líneas de investigación, tras su localización con vida en el Estado de México.#ImagenInforma pic.twitter.com/QprLTdUInk
— Imagen Radio (@Imagen_Mx) April 14, 2026
García Harfuch noted that Vega Carranza went missing while searching for his father. He said that Sheinbaum instructed federal security forces to conduct a search operation for the two men. García Harfuch noted that authorities in Guerrero and México state were also involved in the search efforts.
He said that the two men were flown to the city of Iguala, Guerrero, after they were located in México state.
Asked which criminal group was responsible for the abduction of the mayor and his father, García Harfuch said that “everything indicates” that La Familia Michoacana — a criminal organization based in Michoacán — perpetrated the crime. He said that no arrests have been made, but stressed that work to identify and detain those responsible is continuing.
Asked about narcomantas (narco-banners) claiming that Vega Carranza has links to criminal groups, the security minister responded:
“Indeed, there were two banners that came out against him, one this year, it seems, and the other last year. There are two that we are aware of at this time. And that is also part of the investigation file.”
Taxco — Mexico’s ‘silver capital’ — is known for crime
Located about 170 kilometers southwest of Mexico City, Taxco is known as Mexico’s “silver capital,” and attracts significant numbers of Mexican and foreign tourists.
The pretty colonial town was once one of the largest suppliers of silver in the Spanish Empire and, as Mexico News Daily reported in 2024, remains world-renowned today for its intricate silver jewelry creations and family-run workshops that attract thousands of visitors every year.
However, Taxco also has a dark side. In January 2024, the U.S. government issued a security alert for Taxco shortly after the driver of a public transport van was killed by armed men in the historic center of the town.
“Public transport operators have received threats from La Familia Michoacana and Los Tlacos, crime groups vying for control of Taxco and other parts of Guerrero,” MND reported at the time.
Police officers and teachers, among others, have also been murdered in Taxco.
In August 2024, federal security forces detained 58 employees of Taxco municipal security agencies after the disappearance of five youths who had been detained by local officers. Vega Carranza was not mayor at the time, as he took office in October 2024.
With reports from El Financiero, El Universal, Proceso and Reforma
