Mexican police have reported that the vehicle in which an Ohio man who went to Mexico shortly before Christmas was using has been found, as have several dead bodies.
A Mexican news station reported that the vehicle in which Jose Gutiérrez of Hamilton, Ohio, and his fiance Daniela Pichardo were traveling was found with multiple bullet holes, according to WCPO-TV.
According to WXIX-TV, the parents of Gutiérrez, who live in Mexico, will be giving DNA samples to authorities in an attempt to determine if one unidentified body found at the site is their son.
According to the report, four bodies were found near where the car was found.
One of the individuals has been identified as Pichardo. The others have been identified as Pichardo’s sister and cousin.
“All these days, we just been praying and praying that it’s not him, it’s not him, and if the outcome comes that it is, we have to be ready,” said Miguel Gutiérrez, Jose’s brother.
Gutiérrez and the three people identified had disappeared after eating dinner at a restaurant in the state of Zacatecas on Christmas Day, according to WLWT.
Update from prosecutor in Zacatecas Mexico: Three women found deceased are that of Daniela Pichardo, her sister Viviana Pichardo and cousin Paola Vargas Montoya. They are still waiting on DNA results to see if the man found deceased is Jose Gutierrez of Hamilton, OH. @wlwt pic.twitter.com/IKwVAa5AGz
— Karin Johnson WLWT (@karinjohnson) January 20, 2023
No sign of them had been found until Wednesday when the car and a nearby burial site were discovered.
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According to WCPO, Pichardo’s mother had been worried when the four did not arrive as scheduled after dinner. She had received a text message with an address.
The station reported that police told family members that the area was too dangerous and stopped them from going to the texted location.
Brandie Gutiérrez, Jose’s sister, said the family has feared the worst, given what they had learned about the night her brother went missing.
“The bars actually noticed screams,” she said, according to WXIX-TV.
#BREAKING Jose Gutierrez, a Miami graduate and Cincinnati architect, is missing in Mexico. His family fears he and his fiancée have been abducted or worse. They say they’ve contacted the FBI, U.S. government officials and local police to help. pic.twitter.com/tj8Fxj2bmp
— FOX19 NOW (@FOX19) December 29, 2022
The State Department advises against travel to Zacatecas.
“Violent crime, extortion and gang activity are widespread in Zacatecas state. U.S. citizens and LPRs [lawful permanent residents] have been victims of kidnapping,” its advisory said.
Gutiérrez received a master’s degree in architecture from Miami University and worked at Champlin Architecture in Cincinnati, according to WHIO-TV.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.