Hey there, DETECTIVES! DETECTIVE WRITER here to tell you about another unsolved murder in Mexico, the assassination of human rights lawyer, Digna Ochoa.
Ochoa was born in Veracruz, Mexico on May 15th, 1964. Prior to becoming a human rights lawyer, Ochoa was a nun. However, in 1999, without taking her vows, she left the Dominican convent of the Incarnate Word where she had been studying since 1991. In 1984, Ochoa entered law school and by 1988, she had already been involved with opposition groups.
On August 16th, 1998, Ochoa was kidnapped in Veracruz she was alleged to have been raped, and the individuals who abducted her were state police; however, there were no investigations into her case.
Unfortunately, that horrific incident would be the first of several for Ochoa. In August 1999, Ochoa was kidnapped and held in a car while in Mexico City. In October 1999, while still in Mexico City, Ochoa was abducted again and had been interrogated the whole night while placed next to an open gas cylinder. In August 2000, she went into exile in Washington, DC.
Although, in March 2001, when she returned to Mexico City, her court-ordered protection was lifted in August 2001. By October 2001, she was already working in law offices in Mexico City.
On October 19th, 2001, while in her law office in Mexico City, Ocho was murdered by a gunshot to the head. A note had been found in her body warning her members/coworkers that they could be next. Initially, her death was ruled a homicide by the Mexico City police but by March 2002, it was ruled a suicide despite numerous objections from human rights activists. According to the autopsy report, her body had two .22 caliber bullet wounds with the entry on the left side of her body, but she was right-handed. Her case was later reopened in 2005. While it is still unknown what exactly happened or who could have killed Ochoa, in 2021, Mexico admitted there was wrongdoing in her death investigation. Perhaps we can finally figure out the clues to this mysterious case and Ochoa can receive the justice she deserves. Let me know what you think, DETECTIVES!
I hope you have enjoyed this storytime as much as I did, DETECTIVES! Please let me know in the comments if you want to have more storytime! Have a great day, night, afternoon, or evening, DETECTIVES! Stay tuned for next week’s post; until then, keep on sleuthing, DETECTIVES!
Detective Writer 