An Ohio man has gone missing in Mexico and his family fears that he was the victim of an abduction in an area of the country that has been ravaged by kidnappings and crime.
Jose Gutierrez, an architect from Cincinnati, Ohio, was last seen in the United States at the CVG Airport outside Cincinnati on December 22 when he traveled to the Mexican state of Zacatecas, WXIX-TV reported.
Gutierrez was traveling to Mexico to visit his fiancée ahead of their 2023 wedding date, which is a trip his family says he makes often.
"He goes about three times per year," Brandie Gutierrez, Jose’s sister, told the outlet.
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The last time Brandie spoke with her brother and his fiancée was days into the trip, when they went out to eat at a local bar, and Brandie says local news reports covered an incident that took place in the area that night.
"The bars actually noticed screams," she said. "There is something that is not right."
The couple have not been heard from or seen since that night, and the family is concerned they may have been abducted.
A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the U.S. government is aware of the reports of Gutierrrez’s disappearance and that the department works closely with local authorities and families to help with search efforts and information sharing whenever a U.S. citizen is missing.
The State Department’s most recent travel advisory to Mexico includes Zacatecas as one of several states in Mexico that tourists should "not travel due to crime and kidnapping."
