Red Cross launches campaign on Mexico’s missing persons
Mexican creative agency Archer Troy has partnered with the International Committee of the Red Cross and Oriental Films on a campaign highlighting the role of investigation files in the search for disappeared persons in Mexico.
Launched amid a national crisis that has seen more than 130,000 people reported disappeared as of January 2026, the initiative positions investigation files as essential tools in the pursuit of truth and accountability.
Reframing investigation files as living records
Built around the message “They disappeared once; don’t let them disappear twice,” the campaign reframes case files as active instruments that sustain search efforts rather than static administrative documents. The film tells the stories of Ximena, Mateo and Jorge to illustrate how documented evidence reconstructs a disappeared person’s history and guides investigative action.
According to the ICRC, following reforms to Mexico’s General Law on Disappearances, every report of a missing person must trigger the opening of an investigation file. Linking these files to search reports enables authorities to consolidate information, develop hypotheses and coordinate search and investigative plans more effectively.
María Elizondo, legal advisor for Mexico and Central America: "An investigation file isn't an inert document or a pile of papers: it is a working tool that articulates information and allows research hypotheses to be formulated. An investigation file lives and breathes with every search action."
Calling for accountability and coordination
The campaign underscores the need for close collaboration between search commissions and public prosecutors to prevent delays and fragmented processes. By documenting each action taken by authorities, investigation files provide families with a mechanism to monitor progress and demand accountability.
Diana Gutiérrez, member of the collective Buscándote con amor: "The investigation file isn´t just an administrative formality, it is the heart of the search process. For families, it represents the possibility of demanding progress and actively participating in the investigation. An incomplete or poorly compiled file delays the search and violates our fundamental rights."
Alongside the film, the project includes an Information Guide: Investigation File for Searching for People, developed with relatives of disappeared persons. The guide offers practical information to help families follow up on case files. A travelling exhibition across major Mexican cities is planned as a second phase.
Through the campaign, the ICRC calls on Mexican authorities to strengthen the compilation, monitoring and analysis of investigation files, arguing that rigorous documentation can make a decisive difference in locating disappeared persons.
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