Seven-year-old Fátima Cecilia Aldrighett Antón went missing on February 11 in Santiago Tulyehualco , Xochimilco .
It’s been reported that the girl’s mother was stuck in traffic and arrived to pick the little girl from school 20 minutes later but she was gone. Fátima was left outside the school , unsupervised .
Fátima
’s family and Mexico City authorities searched for her for several days until it was reported that the body of a girl was found on February 15 in Los Reyes, Tláhuac , near where Fátima went missing. The little girl was found naked and inside a plastic bag .
On February 16, Mexico City’s Prosecutor Ernestina Godoy told journalist Carmen Aristegui that the girl’s father has senile dementia and that the mother has a mental illness and that they were unable to identify the body . Godoy said the DNA test would be ready by February 18. Nevertheless, Mexico City’s Attorney General's Office offered a press conference, where it was confirmed that the girl found inside a plastic bag is, in fact, Fátima ; the relation between mother and daughter was confirmed through a DNA test.
During the press conference, it was confirmed that it was a woman who abducted Fátima Cecilia from her school , who later boarded a white car. Local authorities are offering MXN $2 million in exchange for information regarding Fátima’s murder .
In the meantime, local authorities have used surveillance videos to investigate the abduction and murder of the little girl. So far, local authorities have searched a home in Xochimilco and prosecutors have interviewed at least five people.
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Last night, Tulyehualco inhabitants demanded justice and organized a protest after they learned the girl found dead could be Fátima .
This morning, Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum condemned the crime :
When asked about Fátima , President López Obrador blamed the Neoliberal regime , responsible for the rotting of society and values, which leads to crimes like this. He also asked feminist protesters not to paint the National Palace , after feminist activists protested for the murder of Ingrid Escamilla , whose skinned body made it to the front cover of a sensationalist newspaper .
Activist
, journalist , and society in general condemned the heinous crime against the little girl .
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On February 17, the National System for Integral Family Development ( DIF ) issued a statement revealing that Fátima’s mother had been accused of mistreatment and emotional neglect since 2015. In 2017, the DIF received a phone call from a woman who claimed to be Fátima’s aunt , the woman denounced the mother and stepfather for neglect and asked for orientation in the process to obtain custody of Fátima and her two siblings. However, the woman didn’t start a legal process to become the children’s legal guardian .
On February 18, After the body of Fátima Cecilia was found and her femicide confirmed, a group of feminist activists protested outside the National Palace , the President’s office and residence. Yesterday, López Obrador asked activists not to paint the building.
During the protest, women said the Mexican President is insensitive and negligent when it comes to femicide . Protesters also urged the President to acknowledge his government doesn’t have a strategy to protect women and not to criminalize them when they are victims of femicide .
Police officers
were deployed outside the building to prevent altercations and protect the National Palace.
On February 14, women protested outside the President’s office , painted a door, and broke some windows after the femicide of Ingrid Escamilla a week earlier.
During a press conference on February 18, Ernestina Godoy confirmed the little girl was sexually abused and tortured .
On February 19, Mexico City authorities announced they searched a home in Xochimilco , where experts gathered evidence that is currently being analyzed. A testimony alerted authorities about the home where Fátima was held. Authorities revealed they found IDs , photographs , personal items , fingerprints , and bloodstains .
Authorities confirmed they will charge two suspects with kidnapping charges , and possibly with femicide and other charges. They will request the harshest sentence , which means the criminals could spend between 40 and 180 years in prison .
After searching the home where Fátima was held, authorities finally released the pictures of the two suspects involved in the kidnapping , torturing , abuse , and murder of Fátima Cecilia : Giovana "N" and Mario "N."
Due to the recent brutal femicides of Abril Pérez , Ingrid Escamilla , and 7-years-old Fátima, to mention some, Mexicans have made a call for everyone to join a memorial at the Angel of the Independence monument to commemorate all the victims of violence against women .
The call was made through social networks with a message asking people to wear black and to bring a candle with the picture of the women who have been victims of femicides so that they will never be forgotten .
The memorial will take place on February 22 at 17:00 at the Angel of the Independence monument .
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