Name: Silvia Arce Atayde
Case Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing Since: March 11, 1998
Location Last Seen: Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico
Date of Birth: Circa 1969
Age: 29 years old
Race: White/Hispanic
Gender: Female
Height: 165 cm
Weight: Unknown
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Dark brown
Nickname/Alias: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Thin build.
Dentals: Unknown
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Unknown
Clothing: Blue denim pants; red shirt; brown and green leather jacket; white socks and white and purple tennis shoes.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown
Silvia was last seen leaving her place of work, a nightclub at La Paz y Ramón Ortiz streets, at 2.30 in the morning. She sold burritos and cosmetics at the club. She was together with Griselda Mata . Workmates last saw them with three men in a car, which, thanks to eyewitness statements, was identified by the authorities in the course of the investigation.
A week after Silvia and Griselda went missing, a complaint was lodged with the Procuraduría General de Justicia de Chihuahua (PGJE), Office of the Chihuahua State Public Prosecutor, by Verónica Rivera who had been the victim of abduction and torture a few days before the two went missing. Verónica, who worked at the same bar as Silvia and Griselda, said that she had been kidnapped, tortured and released by her captors after being held for two days on 8 and 9 March. According to her testimony, one of her captors claimed to be a federal police officer from the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (Procuraduría General de la República, PGR) and reportedly said that he would let her go on condition that she told no one about what had happened.
The Public Ministry and the four State Judicial Police officers officially assigned to the case carried out intense investigations and gathered several testimonies and other pieces of evidence that allowed them to corroborate the circumstances surrounding the method, time and place of Verónica's abduction. The vehicles and houses used were also identified and two men were identified as suspects in connection with the abduction of Silvia Arce and Griselda Mares.
On 6 April 1998 summonses were issued against the police officer from the PGR and another former police officer on suspicion of being responsible for the kidnapping of Verónica. After that, the investigations suddenly came to a halt. In five years there is no indication of further official steps having been taken to try to find out what happened to Silvia Arce and Griselda Mares or where they are.
In March 2003 the authorities reported that the case had been reopened at the end of 2002 but that they had been unable to locate those believed to be responsible.
Silvia left behind a husband and three children. The family had previously lived in Southern California for four years.
Agency Name: Procuraduría General de la República
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: 53-46-01-00; 01-800-00-252-00
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: N/A
Procuraduria General de la Republica
OC Register
Amnesty International
Added: 3-8-2008; Last Updated: 10-21-2021 - By: Htmlcnvtr
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information is from the time of disappearance.
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