A 79-year-old Protestant missionary has been missing for more than six weeks in southern Mexico after reportedly being abducted by armed men while carrying out evangelistic work in Guerrero State.
Human rights organisation Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has urged Mexican authorities to launch an immediate inquiry into the disappearance of Benito Guevara Arcos, who was last seen on March 31 in San Vicente, a community in the municipality of Chilpancingo de los Bravos.
According to CSW, Mr Guevara Arcos had travelled from the nearby town of Ocotito to share the Gospel and distribute Bibles in the area.
He had been lodging with a fellow Protestant Christian, who became concerned when the missionary failed to return later that evening.
Residents reportedly told the friend that armed men had confronted Mr Guevara Arcos over his preaching activities before coercing him into a vehicle and driving him away.
Local contacts later suggested that an organised criminal group had said it was verifying who the missionary was, despite him carrying official identification documents at the time.
Days later, the group allegedly informed local Christians that the missionary had been freed in the town of Amojileca on April 4 and asked relatives to collect him there. However, he could not be located.
Family members said Mr Guevara Arcos was not in possession of a mobile phone when he disappeared but had enough money on him to travel home independently if released safely.
A missing persons report was submitted to Guerrero’s National Search Commission on April 13, and police protection was later provided while relatives distributed flyers across the municipality.
Despite widespread local media coverage and the missionary reportedly being famous in the region, no confirmed information about his whereabouts or condition has emerged.
His family has reportedly avoided filing a formal complaint with the state prosecutor’s office due to fears of retaliation from criminal groups operating in the area.
In a statement, Anna Lee Stangl, CSW’s Director of Advocacy and Americas Team Leader, expressed deep concern for Mr Guevara Arcos’ safety and called on both state and federal authorities to conduct a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.
She said: “We urge anyone who may have information as to what has happened to come forward …We urge the Mexican government, at all levels, to increase efforts to arrest the influence of organised criminal groups in the country, recognising the specific threat that these groups pose to religious leaders and human rights defenders in particular, and prioritising their protection accordingly.”
The case comes amid wider concerns over escalating disappearances and violence in Mexico.
A recent report by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) said disappearances in the country have risen by more than 200% over the past decade, warning that state actors are usually implicated either directly or through failures to curb organised criminal activity.
Broader international monitoring has also highlighted the growing risks faced by Christians and church leaders in Mexico.
Earlier this year, persecution watchdog Global Christian Relief reported that Mexico recorded the world’s highest number of verified abductions and assaults against Christians between late 2023 and 2025, documenting 376 incidents.
The report explained that powerful drug cartels frequently target pastors and Christian community workers because anti-drug and youth outreach efforts are viewed as threats to criminal control.
