The remains of a Chicago couple who vanished on May 20 have been discovered in a mass grave on the outskirts of Mexico City, where two other victims were also found.
Zafar Padamsee Mawani and Guillermo Jaffet Hidalgo Ortiz disappeared after heading to a business meeting related to a chairlift installation for Mawani’s mother, who has Alzheimer’s disease. Their bodies were later recovered on June 17, and several arrests have since been made in the case.
Investigators say the sellers told the two men, both U.S. citizens, to come to Mawani’s mother’s house in Mexico City, where the chairlift was being installed, so they could finalize the deal.
Before communication stopped, Mawani and Ortiz shared their live location with a friend.
Officials later uncovered a grave containing four bodies in a wooded section of a property in La Marquesa, located on the edge of Mexico City. A human limb was also reportedly found nearby.
Mawani’s relatives identified the couple as two of the victims on Wednesday, June 24. A family spokesperson later issued a statement to ABC7.
“We are aware of reports circulating regarding Zafar and Guillermo.
“We are in direct contact with authorities to confirm accurate information. We ask for patience and privacy for the family during this time.”
The other two victims are believed to have been a married couple aged 56 and 38, though authorities have not yet publicly released their identities.
ABC7 also spoke with Ortiz’s niece, who said the couple had relocated from Chicago to Mexico in October 2025.
In comments to CBS, family friend Maggie Reynoso described how Ortiz had wanted to share the country with his husband.
“He wanted to show his husband how beautiful Mexico is. So they were going everywhere, dressing very glamourous, even though we told them to be safe.
“Ortiz doesn’t think that anybody would do any harm, somebody who did this to him doesn’t have a heart.”
“I still can’t believe that it’s real.”
Police said five people have been taken into custody in connection with the discovery. Among those arrested is former officer Yesenia V., whom authorities allege led a kidnapping and robbery group.
The other four suspects were reportedly found in possession of ammunition, narcotics, and a black suitcase.
Earlier this month, relatives of more than 130,000 missing people in Mexico staged a protest outside the opening of the World Cup, accusing the government of not doing enough to confront the country’s disappearance crisis.