6 of 7 Kidnapped El Balcón Farmers Found Alive in Guerrero After 22 Days — Proceso Says Their Captors Let Them Go; Domingo Atanacio Quirino, 50, Still Missing
Six of the seven farmers kidnapped Sept. 24 from the El Balcón ejido in the sierra of Ajuchitlán del Progreso, Guerrero, were found alive on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, after 22 days in captivity, Mexico’s Army said in a statement reported by Quadratín Guerrero and Infobae. The seventh man, Domingo Atanacio Quirino, 50, is still missing. Residents blame the kidnapping on alleged members of La Familia Michoacana. No arrests have been announced.
What the Army says
In a joint statement with Guerrero’s security ministry and state prosecutors (FGE), the Army’s IX Military Region and 27th Military Zone said the men were located “mediante trabajos de inteligencia militar” (“through military intelligence work”), together with the National Guard, Quadratín reported. The statement said they were in good health, were fed and given medical care by soldiers, and were then taken to the FGE, which will carry out proceedings “a fin de esclarecer los hechos” (“to clarify the facts”).
Infobae and Proceso named the six as Nicolás Atanacio González, Fidel Quirino Atanacio, 54, Isidro Brito Arriola, 32, Eulises Medrano López, 26, José Leodanis Medrano López, 24, and Everardo León Atanacio, 17. Infobae gives Nicolás’s age as 74; Proceso says 75. In a video circulated with the announcement, one man says he feels weak and has some sores but is healing, Infobae reported.
Freed or rescued?
Proceso reported that the captors abandoned the six around noon and that soldiers then picked them up near the community of Puerto Grande; the Army’s announcement came after 4 p.m. Father Filiberto Velázquez of the Centro Minerva Bello victims’ center cautioned: “Rescate es una cosa y liberación otra” (“A rescue is one thing and a release is another”), Infobae and La Plaza Diario reported. Authorities have not explained the circumstances of the release.
Guerrero Gov. Evelyn Salgado said on Facebook that the state would put “todo nuestro esfuerzo y recursos para que todos retornen a sus hogares” (“all our effort and resources so that everyone returns home”), Tribuna reported.
How the case unfolded
Eight people were taken on Sept. 24 while working at La Lajita, Infobae reported. A 12-year-old boy was freed with a demand that the ejido hand over its territory; earlier reports and the Army put that on Oct. 1, while Proceso’s sources now say Sept. 30. State prosecutors had offered a 1.5 million-peso reward, and a federal court in Iguala ordered an urgent search.
Sources
- Quadratín Guerrero (Sandra Leticia Luviano Valle), “Confirma Ejército liberación de 6 de campesinos; sigue búsqueda de uno,” Oct. 16, 2026
- Infobae (Juan Castillo), “Ejército localiza con vida a 6 campesinos desaparecidos en la sierra de Guerrero,” Oct. 16, 2026
- Proceso (Luis Daniel Nava), “Liberan a seis campesinos secuestrados en Guerrero tras 23 días; uno sigue desaparecido,” Oct. 16, 2026
- La Plaza Diario, “Localizan con vida a seis de los siete campesinos de El Balcón tras 22 días de cautiverio,” Oct. 16, 2026
- Tribuna (Iván Rosas), “Hallan con vida a seis campesinos tras semanas desaparecidos en Guerrero,” Oct. 16, 2026
- Photos: Especial (handout), via Infobae; Eduardo Yener Santos/Quadratín Guerrero, via Quadratín
Reported Oct. 17, 2026, from the Army statement and news reports above. The Narco Blog did not independently confirm the details. Accounts differ on whether the men were released by their captors or rescued, and no one has been charged.