A little more than a week after the crime, Mexican authorities arrested a subject who would have been a “participant” in the murder of Father Bertoldo Pantaleón Estrada in the state of Guerrero.
In a statement released on October 10 by the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) of Mexico, it was indicated that a man was arrested “for the crime of murder qualified as a co-participant, against a person who served as a parish priest in the municipality of Eduardo Neri”, in a region served pastorally by the Diocese of Chilpancingo-Chilapa, state of Guerrero.
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According to the SSPC, the operation was led by the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Guerrero, with the support of the Secretariat of National Defense, the Secretariat of the Navy, the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic and the National Guard.
“After becoming aware of the murder of a priest, the security agents established contact with local authorities to support the investigations of the case; the intelligence and field investigation work allowed them to identify a subject linked to the event, thereby collecting information so that an arrest warrant could be generated against him,” the statement reads.
The subject, identified only as Miguel Ángel “N”—as established by Mexican regulations to protect the presumption of innocence—was located and arrested in the municipality of Chilpancingo, and “placed at the disposal of the corresponding Public Ministry agent, who will determine his legal situation.”
The disappearance and death of Father Bertoldo Pantaleón Estrada
Father Bertoldo Pantaleón Estrada, parish priest of the parish of San Cristóbal, in the municipality of Mezcala, Guerrero, was initially reported missing last weekend, after being last seen on Saturday, October 4.
On Monday, October 6, the authorities notified the Diocese of Chilpancingo-Chilapa that they had found the lifeless body of the Catholic priest. That night, the bishopric reported that the priest’s body would be buried in his hometown of Changata, Guerrero, on October 8.
The diocese summoned a Caravan for Peace for October 11 in memory of Father Bertoldo Pantaleón Estrada who arrived at the Sanctuary of the Martyrs in Chilpancingo. The objective, it was indicated, was to “ask for peace in Guerrero.”
According to the Catholic Multimedia Centerwhich keeps the figures of attacks suffered by the Catholic Church in Mexico, more than a dozen priests have been murdered in the country since 2018.
The call of the Catholic Church to the authorities and society
Bishop José de Jesús González Hernández, Bishop of Chilpancingo-Chilapa, Indian on October 11 that he received “notification from our civil authorities of the arrest of the alleged person responsible for the death of Father Bertoldo Pantaleón Estrada.”
“Always placing trust in God who imparts justice, I ask our government authorities to continue the lines of investigation that are within their technical competencies at their disposal to clarify these unfortunate events,” he said.
The bishop noted that priests and faithful of the diocese have shared with him “their concern that this tragic event cannot continue to happen, and as a Diocesan Church we will continue our mission of evangelization on the path of peace and in favor of life.”
“Every life is valuable and must be respected as the most precious gift we have received from God our Father,” he stressed.
The Mexican prelate reiterated in his message his “call for reconciliation and as a society we are all responsible for contributing to a better climate of peace, which we know is a gift that we have to ask insistently as men and women of faith.”
“I ask everyone to continue raising their prayers, especially the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the eternal rest of our brother priest Bertoldo Pantaleón Estrada,” he concluded.
Violence in Guerrero
Bishop González Hernández has denounced the violence that affects Guerrero, which he has described as a “kidnapped state.”
He “Narcommap of Mexico” prepared by the newspaper Milenio, shows that more than 24 criminal groups are fighting for control of territory in Guerrero. Among these are the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel, Los Rojos, La Nueva Familia Michoacana, Guerreros Unidos and the “Los Chapitos” faction—sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán—of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Acapulco, perhaps the best-known municipality in Guerrero for its famous beach, occupies third position in the list of the 50 most violent cities in the world. Chilpancingo, the state capital and episcopal seat of the Diocese of Chilpancingo-Chilapa, ranks 28th.
According to the Mexico Peace Index 2025Guerrero is the ninth most violent state in the country.
David Ramos
Graduated in Communication Sciences from the Universidad Privada del Norte in Trujillo, Peru. With more than 12 years of experience in Catholic journalism working at ACI Prensa, I have been based in Mexico since 2018. I have covered Pope Francis’ trips to Ecuador, Paraguay, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Panama.