A Chicago couple living in Mexico City vanished last week — and now their loved ones are pleading for help as a trail of sporadic cell phone signals and concerning ATM withdrawals has emerged.
Guillermo Jafett HIdalgo Ortiz, 57, and Zafar Padamsee Mawani, 56, moved to the Tlalpan neighborhood in Mexico City from the Windy City last October, reportedly to care for Mawani’s mother who has Alzheimer’s.
Relatives say the couple disappeared while they were picking up disability equipment from local contractors to accommodate Mawani’s mother last Wednesday, according to WLS.
That day, Ortiz abruptly shared his location with a friend near a hospital in Mexico City’s southern corridor.
Those close to the couple think they shared their location “out of fear,” and are pleading with the US Embassy and Mexican foreign ministry for help.
After Ortiz shared his location, both of the couple’s phones went dark on WhatsApp sometime around 6:20 p.m.
They were riding in the car with the contractors when their location tracking turned off, reports Mexican outlet Infobae.
Twenty-four hours afterward, the couple’s bank issued an automatic alert indicating that they registered contacts to send large sums of money to various people.
Then on Friday, money was withdrawn from the couple’s bank accounts.
Those close to the couple said that this was “strange:”
“The Consulate reaffirms its commitment to providing consular assistance within the scope of its authority, and any updates will be communicated through the appropriate institutional channels,” the Mexican consulate in Chicago said in a statement to ABC5.
Mexican authorities continue to investigate.