Homero Gómez González death (Monarch reserve, Mexico)
- 1 people died.Found dead in a well on 29 January 2020.
- The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
The manager of a monarch butterfly sanctuary in Michoacán, Mexico, who opposed illegal logging, disappeared on 13 January 2020 and was found dead in a well on 29 January. No conviction has been found.
A former municipal legal officer was arrested in April 2024 for extortion, not for the killing.
Status Latest dated item in the sources reviewed: April 2024 arrest of a former municipal legal officer for extortion; no conviction for the death has been found.
- Homero Gómez González, manager of the El Rosario monarch butterfly sanctuary — Died; found dead in a well on 29 January 2020
What happened
Homero Gómez González managed the El Rosario monarch butterfly sanctuary in Ocampo, Michoacán, within the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, and opposed illegal logging. He disappeared on 13 January 2020 and was found dead in a well on 29 January.
The prosecutor cited drowning with a head wound and initially leaned towards an accident. In January 2020, 53 municipal police officers were questioned or detained; reports differ on which.
The case was reopened after a Netflix documentary. In April 2024, the former Ocampo síndica (municipal legal officer), Elizabeth Guzmán Vilchis, was arrested for extortion, not for the killing. No conviction has been found.
- 202013 January: disappears; January: 53 municipal police officers questioned or detained; 29 January: found dead in a well in Ocampo
- 2024April: the former Ocampo síndica is arrested for extortion, not for the killing; the case is reported reopened
What was said
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
Cited drowning with a head wound and initially leaned towards an accident.
How it looked
Shown
- The prosecutor cited drowning with a head wound and initially leaned towards an accident.Prosecutor, as reported
Recorded
- He disappeared on 13 January 2020 and was found dead in a well on 29 January in Ocampo, Michoacán.
- He managed the El Rosario monarch butterfly sanctuary and opposed illegal logging.
- 53 municipal police officers were questioned or detained in January 2020; reports differ on which.
- The case was reopened after a Netflix documentary.
- The former Ocampo síndica, Elizabeth Guzmán Vilchis, was arrested in April 2024 for extortion, not for the killing.
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2024-04–Outcome not on recordExtortion arrest of the former Ocampo municipal legal officerMichoacán · Criminal · Authorities (not further specified in the sources reviewed) → Elizabeth Guzmán Vilchis, former Ocampo síndica
Arrested in April 2024 for extortion, not for the killing. No outcome is recorded in the sources reviewed. La Razón
- 2020–No defendant leftInvestigation into the death of Homero Gómez GonzálezMichoacán · Criminal · Prosecutors (not further specified in the sources reviewed) → Not named
The prosecutor initially leaned towards an accident; the case was reopened after a Netflix documentary. No conviction has been found. La Razón
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Court
- Unclear Extortion arrest of the former Ocampo municipal legal officer: outcome not on record.
Accounts
- Disputed How did he die?
Record
- None on record No conviction for the death has been found.
- Disputed Reports differ on which of the 53 municipal police officers were questioned and which were detained in January 2020.
- None on record The sources reviewed describe the April 2024 arrest of the former municipal legal officer as being for extortion, not for the killing.
Did the harm stop?
Not established in the sources reviewed.
Who paid?
The sanctuary manager, who died; the sources reviewed record no convictions or compensation.
Sources
Press and investigations
- Michoacán reabren caso crimen activistaLa Razón · 2024-04