In the heart of winter, on February 13, 2017, a 19-year-old young man named Jose Giovanni Carrillo Tapia was seen for the last time. He was in Caborca, a city in the Mexican state of Sonora, with plans to embark on a life-altering journey. It is believed that Jose, a Hispanic male, intended to cross the international border into the United States, somewhere in the vast and often perilous desert expanse between Sasabe and Arizona. That day marked the last time his family ever heard from him, a silence that has stretched into years of uncertainty and concern.
Jose was a slender man, standing between five feet six inches and five feet seven inches tall and weighing around 120 pounds. He had short, curly black hair and black eyes. His loved ones, who knew him by the nicknames 'Mapo' or 'Midget,' were familiar with his distinct physical characteristics, including a scar on the back of his head and a unique gait characterized by arched legs. When he disappeared, he was reportedly wearing black pants, a sweatshirt, and size 7 shoes. He was also thought to have been carrying a Telcel iPhone at the time.
The circumstances surrounding Jose's disappearance point to a journey that ended in silence. His intention was to cross the border, but he never made the contact his family was waiting for, leaving his ultimate fate unknown. It wasn't until October 27, 2018, more than a year and a half after he was last seen, that a missing persons report was formally filed with the Phoenix Police Department in Arizona. The case serves as a heart-wrenching reminder of the countless individuals who vanish while undertaking dangerous border crossings. The lack of communication since that February day in 2017 leaves his family without answers, grappling with the ambiguous loss of a young man who seemingly vanished while in pursuit of a different future.
Last Seen: Feb 13, 2017
