The Mexican journalist Jaime Barrera Rodríguez disappeared this Monday afternoon in the surroundings of Guadalajara, in the State of Jalisco.
The 56-year-old communicator left the radio station where he worked at around 2:00 p.m., according to the images released in which he was last seen, and then his trace was lost.
At night his family asked for help to locate him and the search mechanisms were activated.
Late at night, the authorities found the journalist's truck abandoned in Zapopan, in the metropolitan area of the city.
As usual, Barrera Rodríguez was scheduled to participate in his television news program that night, but he never arrived.
The official hypothesis, so far, is that he has been kidnapped while leaving work.
The Jalisco Prosecutor's Office reported this Tuesday that the line of investigation indicates that the journalist was deprived of his freedom when he left the radio station.
The investigation carried out so far indicates that there are between three and four people who supposedly approached the communicator in an SUV-type car.
One of the attackers carried a long weapon, detailed the state prosecutor, Luis Joaquín Méndez Ruiz.
One of the first to shout for help was Itzul Barrera, the communicator's daughter.
“My dad, the best journalist in this state.
He is missing.
I need you to please help us find him.
Help us reach him, please I ask you to spread the word,” she published around 10:00 p.m. on Monday on social networks.
Then came the search form, published by the state Search Commission.
There they described that Barrera Rodríguez was wearing, at the time of his disappearance, a white shirt, beige jacket and pants, and black shoes.
“If you have information that contributes to his whereabouts, write to us or call 3331456314,” it reads next to the physical description of the famous local journalist.
The last images in which Barrera Rodríguez is seen were published by journalist Becky Reynoso on X, formerly Twitter.
In a very short video, the communicator is seen leaving the radio station where he has just finished his program at around 2:00 p.m., in the Jardines de San Ignacio neighborhood, in Zapopan.
According to Reynoso, the man was going to “meet his children for lunch,” but he never arrived.
Since then, his family has not been able to contact him.
Barrera Rodríguez hosts a daily news radio program on the Líder Informativo station, between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.
He was the one seen leaving that job on Monday afternoon before disappearing.
At night he hosts Televisa's nightly news program in Jalisco with journalist Trini Rodríguez, a program to which he never appeared.
He also participates weekly in a program on Channel 44, from the University of Guadalajara, as part of a political opinion panel;
and he is a columnist in
El Informador
.
His colleagues assure this newspaper that there has been no communication with him since 2:00 p.m. on Monday.
They describe him as “a brave journalist” who spoke about sensitive topics.
Barrera Rodríguez did investigative journalism for many years for
Grupo Reforma
and became director of
Milenio
in Jalisco.
“A few moments ago I was informed that journalist Jaime Barrera had not gone to his newscast and that his family had not been able to locate him since midday.
Based on that information, we are attentive and focused on finding his whereabouts,” the governor of Jalisco, Enrique Alfaro, published on Monday night.
“Personally, I am addressing the issue and all corporations are coordinated to find it,” he added.
Less than an hour after that message, it was learned that the authorities had found the vehicle, a gray Fiat Fastback truck model 2024. The discovery occurred in the Fovissste sector I neighborhood, also in Zapopan.
The car was abandoned and there was no trace of its driver.
Members of the Guadalajara Security Police Station, the State Prosecutor's Office and the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) participated in the operation with the vehicle.
So far, state authorities have not provided more information about the journalist's disappearance.
The one who did speak on the subject, very briefly, was the president.
Andrés Manuel López Obrador said this Tuesday in his morning conference that they were working on the search for Barrera Rodríguez, who is the father of a “comrade from the movement.”
Itzul Barrera is a candidate for deputy for the National Regeneration Movement (Morena) in Jalisco.
However, the president has indicated that he could not give more details of the investigation yet.
The woman has also called to gather this Tuesday afternoon in Guadalajara to ask for the journalist's appearance.
“Daddy, you're coming back.”
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