After a couple who lived in the Chicago area for decades disappeared months after moving to Mexico City, their friends and family are calling upon U.S. authorities to intervene.
Guillermo Jafett Hidalgo Ortiz, 57, and Zafar Padamsee Mawani, 56, both disappeared on May 20 while living in Tlalpan, one of the municipalities of Mexico City, according to people close to the couple.
Ortiz and Mawani moved to Tlalpan in October after living in Chicago and Oak Park for decades. Relatives said Mawani is a graduate of Oak Park River Forest High School and the University of Chicago and described Ortiz as a longtime, beloved employee and fixture in Chicago’s hospitality industry with strong ties in the Oak Park community.
The couple was in charge of the care of Mawani’s mother, who has Alzheimer’s. According to relatives, Ortiz and Mawani were in the process of buying a lift chair for her along with two alleged local contractors when they disappeared.
People close to the case say Ortiz managed to share his location before his phone was turned off on Wednesday night. They also said that withdrawals of money had been made from the couple’s bank accounts as of Friday.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Mexican authorities are continuing an active investigation into their disappearance. However, frightened friends and family in Chicago and Oak Park say they’ve been given few updates from authorities regarding the ongoing search for Ortiz and Mawani.
The Attorney General’s Office of Mexico City issued a report related to the disappearance of the couple.
The Mexican consulate in Chicago told NBC Chicago “No official information regarding this case has been reported” in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
“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 consulate said in the statement.
