Iowa Woman Missing After Crossing into Mexican Border City

Authorities in Mexico confirmed the disappearance of a U.S. citizen from Iowa who had been missing for several days after crossing the border. The disappearance comes at a time when government officials continue to claim that security conditions have been improving. However, criminal organizations like the Gulf Cartel can operate with almost complete impunity.

According to information released by the Tamaulipas Attorney General’s Office (FGJ), 51-year-old Chris Leguisano crossed into Reynosa, Tamaulipas, on August 9 through a land port of entry and has not been seen since. In a statement, the FGJ revealed that Leguisano could have become a crime victim, but they did not provide details about her abduction or who may have been behind it.

Local news outlets revealed that she traveled from Iowa to Reynosa with a relative who was moving to the city. However, after crossing into Mexico, Leguisano went missing, Hoy Tamaulipas reported.

Jorge Cuellar Montoya, the security spokesman for the Tamaulipas government, revealed that authorities have launched search operations in an attempt to find her but have been unable to do so.

The disappearance comes weeks after the U.S. Consulate in Matamoros sent out two separate travel alerts warning visitors about kidnappings targeting U.S. citizens and residents. As Breitbart Texas reported, in those alerts, U.S. officials pointed to gunmen taking people off passenger buses going to and from Reynosa and holding them for ransom.

After the first travel alert, Jorge Cuellar from the Tamaulipas government dismissed the claims by the U.S. Consulate, arguing that they were based on hearsay since his statistics showed that Tamaulipas was a low-crime state.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.