In the border town of Lukeville, Arizona, a line of communication went silent, leaving a void of unanswered questions in the life of Raul Charles Aparicio. It was April 10, 2013, when the 41-year-old man, also known as Saul Aparicio, reached out to his girlfriend with a plan. In a text message sent at approximately 9:00 p.m., he explained that he was crossing the border from Sonoyta, Mexico, into the United States.
His message conveyed a sense of hope and an expected timeline, as he told her he would be arriving in the coming days, either on the 14th or 15th of April. This communication would be the last time anyone is known to have heard from him, marking the beginning of a long and painful period of silence.
At the time he vanished, Raul was a man with distinct features. Standing at five feet seven inches and weighing around 180 pounds, he was of Hispanic or Latino descent. His hair was a mix of black and gray, kept short, and he had a small amount of dark facial hair around his mouth. Two scars marked his face and head; a linear scar just above his right eye and a circular one above his ear from a previous injury. He was thought to be carrying a backpack and a wallet that held important phone numbers and his Mexican elector ID card. Although the exact clothes he wore that night are unknown, it is known that he typically wore size 36 pants, large shirts, and size 11 shoes. These personal items paint a picture of a man prepared for a journey, carrying with him the essentials for travel and connection.
The days that followed his last text message were filled with an anxious anticipation that slowly turned to worry and then to despair. The 14th and 15th of April came and went with no sign of Raul and no further communication. His girlfriend's phone remained silent, and his family's wait for his return began. The hope instilled by his final message faded as hours turned into days, and days into years. The investigation into his disappearance, handled by the Pima County Medical Examiner's Office, has been left with a stark and unresolved final chapter. The overview of this case is one of abrupt and complete loss of contact; a man on the cusp of crossing a border, with a destination in mind and a promise of arrival, who simply vanished into the night, leaving behind only his last words and the enduring mystery of his whereabouts.Last Seen: Apr 10, 2013
