The body of missing priest Reverend Ernesto Baltazar Hernández Vilchis, 40, has been discovered wrapped in plastic and tied to a chair in a drainage canal near Felipe Ángeles International Airport, just north of Mexico City. Rev. Vilchis had gone missing on October 27 in Tultepec.
Search and rescue teams recovered the remains, which were in an advanced state of decay. Forensic analysis later confirmed the identity of the priest. According to Mexican media outlet Telediario, the body had been wrapped in black bags and tied to an armchair, becoming lodged in a small mound of earth in the canal.
Rev. Vilchis had recently been assigned to the Tultepec area and was last seen in the town of Ampliación La Piedad. Following his disappearance, the diocese filed a missing person report. He had previously served in multiple churches before this latest assignment.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the death and are working to identify those responsible. While the perpetrators remain unknown, priests in Mexico have sometimes been targeted by cartels. Last month, another priest was found dead in the mountains of Guerrero.
According to the Catholic Multimedia Centre, which tracks attacks on clergy, 10 priests were killed in Mexico between 2019 and 2024. Violence against public figures continues to be a serious issue in the country.
