Civil and Catholic Church authorities reported the discovery of the body of Father Juan Manuel Zavala Madrigal, a 53-year-old Mexican priest who had been reported missing since the night of Sunday, March 8, in the state of Chiapas, in southern Mexico.
In a statement, the Archdiocese of Tuxtla Gutiérrez stated that the priestʼs body was found near Laguna Verde, an ecotourism center located about 12 miles from his parish.
The priest served as vicar at St. Mark the Evangelist parish in the town of Ocotepec. According to local reports, the priest had left to celebrate Mass in another community; however, after the Mass his whereabouts became unknown.
According to the Ocotepec city council, the municipal public security directorate activated a search operation after receiving the report of his disappearance around 9:00 p.m. local time on Sunday.
The search efforts were carried out in coordination with neighboring townships; however, “during the first hours of the search, the results were negative, until the tragic discovery made near the ecotourism center today,” the city council stated.
The Chiapas state attorney generalʼs office reported that it has opened an investigation to determine what happened, in coordination with local authorities.
In its statement, the Archdiocese of Tuxtla Gutiérrez expressed confidence that the pertinent authorities will carry out “the necessary procedures to clarify what happened.”
The archdiocese also expressed its “closeness, solidarity and condolences” to Zavalaʼs family, as well as to his parish community and all the faithful “who are today dismayed by this painful loss.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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