Jaime Castañeda confirmed he positively identified his 43-year-old brother, a geologist, on Sunday by reviewing images shown to him by authorities at the federal attorney general’s office in Mazatlán, Sinaloa. José Manuel Castañeda Hernández, an employee of Vizsla Silver Corp., was taken captive on January 23 along with nine colleagues from Concordia, a town near Mazatlán. Castañeda expressed deep sorrow over the distressing situation, emphasizing the pain of the experience.
José Manuel Castañeda Hernández, hailing from Guerrero, was a devoted husband and father of two children, a 14-year-old son, and a 10-year-old daughter. Jaime Castañeda described the anguish of witnessing their suffering and decried the absence of justice in the unfolding events. The bodies of two other abducted Vizsla Silver Corp. workers from Zacatecas were also identified by their relatives and a government official.
The three deceased individuals were located last week by authorities near El Verde, a rural village close to Concordia. Their remains were discovered in what local media termed a mass grave. The abductions and subsequent findings occurred amidst escalating violence linked to the ongoing conflict between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, particularly involving Los Chapitos and La Mayiza.
Security and Civilian Protection Secretary Omar Harfuch suggested that a group affiliated with Los Chapitos orchestrated the abductions. The Attorney General’s Office acknowledged the recovery of bodies and human remains at the El Verde site. Vizsla Silver Corp. expressed profound grief over the tragic loss of life and extended condolences to the families and community affected by the ordeal.
Jaime Castañeda revealed that multiple families gathered at the attorney general’s office to identify the retrieved bodies, including the relatives of the workers from Zacatecas. Ignacio Aurelio Salazar Flores, one of the deceased employees, was confirmed by his spouse, who described the day as the most difficult in her life. The identity of the second worker, José Ángel Hernández Vélez, was disclosed by Senator Geovanna Bañuelos, with Canadian mining company Capstone Copper also offering condolences.
David Mora, a senior analyst, speculated that the kidnappings may serve as a display of power by the involved factions and could be linked to strategic interests in the region. The escalating violence in the area has seen a significant number of intentional homicides and missing persons cases since the factional conflict intensified in 2024. José Manuel Castañeda Hernández’s tragic fate has added another somber chapter to these alarming statistics, leaving his family to cherish memories of his kind and truthful nature.
