Teen Girl Missing In Mexico Found Dead, Father: My Daughter Died Of Incompetent Authority!

JAKARTA - A teenage girl who was declared missing in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon has been found dead. His body was in a water tank at the bottom of a motel, near the location where he was last seen.

Debanhi Escobar, an 18-year-old law student, disappeared on April 9. Her case comes in the midst of a series of cases of missing women in the capital of Neuvo Leon, Monterrey.

He was last seen standing near the highway in a photo taken by a driver hired to take him home after a party.

On Friday, April 22, Mario Escobar's father, accused the driver of groping his daughter's chest, citing video camera footage. He said the stunt knocked his daughter out of the car and what happened after that was unclear.

In interviews with local media, Escobar also identified the body in the tank as his daughter and accused authorities of mishandling the investigation.

"My daughter died because of incompetent authorities, and because of sexual assault," he said.

The state attorney general's office said no one had been arrested in connection with the case. The driver could not be reached for comment.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador offered condolences to the family on Friday and said the teenager's death could be investigated by the federal attorney general's office at the family's request, so there was "no doubt" in the case.

Twenty-six women and girls have been missing in Nuevo Leon since the start of the year and five others have been found dead after being reported missing.

The cases have sparked protests and prompted international scrutiny of gender violence in Mexico.

On Friday afternoon, hundreds of women marched into the attorney general's office and busy thoroughfares in the city center, crippling rush-hour traffic, to protest gender violence.

Protesters demanded the resignation of security minister Aldo Fasci and carried posters with the name and face of Debanhi Escobar who was found dead.

"I'm here for all the girls in Nuevo Leon because we want a safe and free state for them," said Adriana Flores, 45.