Activist Michel Castro was missing for ten days and was found murdered.
She had attended the LGBT pride march in Jalisco. Her family and local organizations are demanding that it be investigated as a hate crime.
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MEXICO CITY, Mexico. Michel Castro, a 32-year-old gay and deaf man, was last seen on May 25. That day he had attended the LGBT+ Pride march in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco . Ten days later, thanks to the efforts of his mother , the city's citizens, and LGBT organizations, his lifeless body was found with signs of violence. He was in a vacant lot near where he lived. Activists are demanding that it be investigated as a hate crime.
Michel's mother and various LGBT human rights organizations in Puerto Vallarta denounce that the Jalisco State Prosecutor's Office was negligent in the search and location process for the activist; and that they treated the victim's family insensitively.
Michel was a man who was “proudly visible” and well-known in his circles, both within the deaf community and the LGBT community of Puerto Vallarta. The news of his disappearance and subsequent discovery of his body was followed by local and national . To date, neither the Jalisco State Prosecutor's Office nor the Directorate of Sexual Diversity (part of the government) has commented on this crime.
Presentes attempted to contact the Specialized Coordination for the Attention to Crimes due to Sexual Diversity of the Prosecutor's Office , whose function is to file specific complaints for sexual diversity and generate indicators of the problem suffered by the LGBTI+ population in Jalisco; to obtain a statement regarding this fact, but they never answered the phone.
This media outlet spoke with Victor Espíndola , lawyer and coordinator of the Movement for Equality , an organization that defends the human rights of LGBT people, who has been supporting Michel's family.
The facts
On May 25, Michel Castro attended the Puerto Vallarta Pride march with the SETAC , an organization that provides health services focused on the LGBT population, where he collaborated.
According to attorney Espindola's account, after Pride Day, Michel and her boyfriend went to the movies. After the movie, her boyfriend took Michel home to the 12 de Octubre neighborhood, located on the outskirts of Puerto Vallarta's hotel zone.
The couple said goodbye around 12:05 a.m. Michel's last phone connection was at 12:13 a.m. on Friday, May 26.
On Monday, May 29, his mother traveled from Nayarit (a state bordering Jalisco) to Puerto Vallarta after a neighbor called to report that Michel hadn't been seen since the weekend. “The woman went to the Prosecutor's Office and asked the authorities to go to the house because they hadn't heard from Michel. They ignored her. So she and the family went inside and found a crime scene. There was blood everywhere, but Michel wasn't there,” adds Víctor Espindola.
Upon encountering the scene, they called 911 and waited for the authorities to arrive. Victor stated that the prosecutor's office personnel treated Michel's mother rudely and insensitively.
That same day, “Michel’s mother asked the Prosecutor’s Office staff to check a vacant lot next to the building where Michel lived because she noticed a kind of excavation covered with a tarp. She asked them to carry out the inspection. The Prosecutor’s Office refused, arguing that it was private property.”
On May 30, various LGBT groups and organizations in Puerto Vallarta reported Michel's disappearance, and shared his photograph and information to help locate him.
On May 31, the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Missing Persons issued a missing person report. This report does not include any information indicating that Michel was a deaf and gay man.
“The Prosecutor’s Office didn’t look for Michel, his family looked for him and he was found with the help of citizens.”
On June 6, the owner of the vacant lot where the mother felt her son might be found Michel's body. “Despite his mother's premonition, the Prosecutor's Office did not search for Michel in that vacant lot. His family searched for him, and he was found with the help of citizens,” denounces Víctor Espíndola.
The landowner called 911, and the District Attorney's office took four hours to arrive at the scene. Then, it took them another two hours to conduct their investigation. Víctor Espíndola also alleges that during all that time, the District Attorney's office did not inform Michel's mother, who was in Tepic, about the discovery. She found out through the news.
At 5 p.m. on Monday, June 6, the woman went to the Prosecutor's Office to see if the body they had found was Michel's. The response, again, "was negative, with very undignified, insensitive, and authoritarian treatment," Víctor Espíndola stated.
LGBT groups and organizations in Puerto Vallarta announced the discovery on social media. They stated that Michel's body showed signs of violence and demanded truth and justice.
This information was confirmed by Michel's mother on June 7th at a press conference where she stated that the Prosecutor's Office had allowed her to see the photographs from the forensic examination of her son's body. Michel's boyfriend and mother recognized his distinguishing features and confirmed that it was him.
“We demand that it be classified as a hate crime.”
Given the omissions of the Prosecutor's Office during the search and location of Michel Castro, activists are demanding that it be investigated as a hate crime.
“We demand that the Prosecutor’s Office classify this as a hate crime. Michel was a deaf person and a member of the LGBT community; being a gay man, he was doubly vulnerable,” says lawyer Victor Espíndola.
He continued, “The autopsy revealed intentional injuries and a third-degree traumatic brain injury. Furthermore, no valuables were stolen from his home. Clearly, the assailant or assailants targeted Michel directly, having the advantage over him.”
In Jalisco, there is a Specialized Coordination Office for Attention to Crimes Against Sexual Diversity. Its function is to receive specific complaints related to sexual diversity and to generate indicators of violence. Furthermore, the crime of homicide with the aggravating circumstance of hate based on sexual orientation and gender identity is codified. Despite all this, the Prosecutor's Office "undermines, stigmatizes, and corrupts the prosecution of hate crimes against the LGBTTTIQ+ population." This is stated by the local Human Rights Commission in its Recommendation 187/2020.
LGBT+ organizations in Jalisco and Tepic will continue to support Michel's mother until justice is obtained.
“Michel Castro will be remembered as a joyful, supportive person, loved by all. His memory will continue to be a driving force in the fight for the rights of sexual and gender diversity. We will remain united in our demand for justice. We will not cease our efforts to ensure that this case does not go unpunished,” was the message left by the organization Movement for Equality, which has supported the activist's family from the beginning.
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