On the afternoon of Saturday, October 24, 2026, Father Clemente Morales Topete, 67, parish priest of the Cristo Resucitado church in the La Campiña neighborhood of Culiacán, was last seen in the Montebello subdivision, south of the Sinaloa state capital, after attending a medical appointment. His whereabouts have been unknown since then.
The State Commission for the Search of Persons of Sinaloa immediately activated the location notice RZC-0993-2026 and released his physical description to aid in his prompt location: he is approximately 1.80 meters tall, has a dark complexion and a slim build, with short, straight, salt-and-pepper black hair, slightly slanted dark-brown eyes, a round face, a medium-wide nose, thick eyebrows, a medium forehead with slightly receding hairline, a medium mouth and thick lips. Distinguishing marks include a scar on the nape of the neck on the right posterior side and a small mole beneath the right eye at cheekbone level. He was wearing a long-sleeved button-up beige shirt, beige dress trousers and gray moccasin-style shoes. Some reports indicate he was traveling in a dark-gray Toyota Hilux pickup truck.
The Bishop of Culiacán, Jesús José Herrera Quiñónez, expressed gratitude for the signs of communion and solidarity shown by priests, the faithful and the wider community for the health and safety of the missing priest. Institutional search protocols have been activated and the relevant authorities have been contacted. “We remain united in prayer for his prompt location, for his family and for his parish community,” the statement reads, concluding by entrusting the intention to Saint Joseph, patron of the diocese.
The Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM) responded with a communiqué expressing its prayerful solidarity with Bishop Herrera Quiñónez and the Diocese of Culiacán. The document explicitly calls on the competent authorities to “fulfill their duty and cooperate in the prompt location of Father Clemente.” It adds that “in these moments, prayer, solidarity and the responsible collaboration of the entire society help to express fraternity and renew hope.”
The CEM invited everyone to circulate the notice and remain alert to any useful information, entrusting the intention to Our Lady of Guadalupe and asking the Lord to sustain those living through this concern and to inspire the solidarity of all for the swift reunion of the priest with his loved ones and his parish community. The message was also shared through the CEM’s social-media channels.
This case unfolds amid persistent violence and a high number of missing persons in Sinaloa. Since the outbreak of confrontations between organized-crime factions on September 9, 2024, the state has recorded thousands of intentional homicides and unlawful detentions.
Journalistic reports and parliamentary assessments cite approximately 2,208 disappearance cases in 2025 and nearly 984 unlawful detentions through September 2026. Nationally, the National Registry of Missing and Unlocated Persons exceeds 130,000 individuals whose whereabouts remain unknown; Sinaloa ranks among the states with the highest figures. Search collectives denounce a forensic crisis with more than 400 unidentified bodies in the central region and a lack of progress on long-standing cases. Families face institutional neglect, bureaucratic obstacles and constant pressure from ongoing violence marked by shootouts, the discovery of bodies and new reports of disappearances.
In the ecclesial sphere, the Catholic Multimedia Center’s (CCM) Annual Report 2025 on violence against priests and Catholic Church institutions in Mexico paints a troubling picture. It records three missing priests: Father Santiago Álvarez Figueroa (missing since December 29, 2012, Diocese of Zamora), Father Carlos Órnelas Puga (November 3, 2013, Tamaulipas) and Father Francisco Núñez Martínez (Servant Missionary of the Most Holy Trinity, last seen February 7, 2025, in Temascalapa, State of Mexico).
The disappearance of Father Clemente Morales Topete, occurring just days after the anniversary of sustained violence in Sinaloa and amid widespread impunity, underscores both the vulnerability of those exercising ministry in high-conflict areas and the urgent need for effective responses from search and justice authorities. The local Church and the CEM have joined their voices in prayer and solidarity; citizens and the media are called upon to circulate the official notice. Meanwhile, hope for a swift reunion while he is still alive persists in a country where thousands of families continue to await answers.