1
00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000
Downloaded from
YTS.MX
2
00:00:06,548 --> 00:00:09,467
Good morning. Please introduce yourself.
Say your position.
3
00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000
Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
4
00:00:09,467 --> 00:00:10,719
Homero Gómez González.
5
00:00:10,719 --> 00:00:13,972
Municipal president
and commissioner of El Rosario,
6
00:00:13,972 --> 00:00:16,099
where the world's
biggest sanctuary is located.
7
00:00:33,992 --> 00:00:36,578
After a two-month journey,
8
00:00:36,578 --> 00:00:38,496
we can see them flying!
9
00:00:39,039 --> 00:00:40,290
Brides of the sun.
10
00:00:40,790 --> 00:00:42,208
The traveler butterfly.
11
00:00:42,751 --> 00:00:45,336
World heritage.
12
00:00:45,336 --> 00:00:46,838
Souls of the dead!
13
00:00:47,338 --> 00:00:50,175
Come visit! It's a world wonder!
14
00:00:53,386 --> 00:00:54,387
Look at them!
15
00:00:55,472 --> 00:00:56,306
Beautiful!
16
00:01:00,935 --> 00:01:03,188
Michoacán's Attorney General
issued a warrant
17
00:01:03,188 --> 00:01:06,900
for the disappearance of activist
Homero Gómez González.
18
00:01:06,900 --> 00:01:08,860
He was last seen on Monday
19
00:01:08,860 --> 00:01:11,362
attending a meeting
in the village of El Soldado.
20
00:01:11,362 --> 00:01:15,950
But Homero's case is one of 800 activists
who have received death threats.
21
00:01:15,950 --> 00:01:19,871
Today, his family, his village,
and perhaps the butterflies
22
00:01:19,871 --> 00:01:23,625
want to know what exactly happened
to Homero Gómez.
23
00:01:29,422 --> 00:01:32,717
It's one of the most breathtaking
displays on Earth.
24
00:01:32,717 --> 00:01:36,596
{\an8}But their sanctuary
is on the verge of disappearing.
25
00:01:37,430 --> 00:01:41,726
{\an8}The monarch butterfly population
has decreased by 22%
26
00:01:41,726 --> 00:01:44,020
{\an8}compared to last year.
27
00:01:44,020 --> 00:01:47,398
The tall pine and oyamel fir
have been devastated
28
00:01:47,398 --> 00:01:50,318
by the cultivation of profitable
products such as avocado.
29
00:02:02,705 --> 00:02:06,251
1,733 environmental defenders
30
00:02:06,251 --> 00:02:08,753
have been killed in the last ten years.
31
00:02:08,753 --> 00:02:12,632
68% of them are in Latin America.
32
00:02:12,632 --> 00:02:17,303
{\an8}Mexico had the highest number
of environmental activist murders.
33
00:02:21,307 --> 00:02:28,231
THE GUARDIAN OF THE MONARCHS
34
00:02:29,190 --> 00:02:30,608
After earning his degree,
35
00:02:30,608 --> 00:02:34,070
my brother was one of the first
professionals here in the community.
36
00:02:35,572 --> 00:02:37,866
He was a good student.
37
00:02:37,866 --> 00:02:41,035
He always got good grades.
38
00:02:41,035 --> 00:02:44,205
And the locals here, the farmers,
they had high hopes for him,
39
00:02:44,205 --> 00:02:47,208
trusting he'd use his skills to help them.
40
00:02:48,626 --> 00:02:53,173
{\an8}That's when he starts to get involved
in environmental issues
41
00:02:53,173 --> 00:02:55,550
{\an8}and the monarch butterfly.
42
00:02:55,550 --> 00:02:56,551
EL ROSARIO CENTER
43
00:02:56,551 --> 00:03:01,055
They're called sanctuaries because it's
where many butterflies die, millions.
44
00:03:01,055 --> 00:03:03,808
{\an8}The male dies
when the female butterfly returns
45
00:03:03,808 --> 00:03:05,894
{\an8}to the USA and Canada to lay its eggs.
46
00:03:05,894 --> 00:03:07,187
{\an8}And many butterflies die,
47
00:03:07,187 --> 00:03:10,023
{\an8}whether eaten by birds and rodents
or because of the cold,
48
00:03:10,023 --> 00:03:12,150
physical exhaustion, and frost.
49
00:03:12,150 --> 00:03:14,235
That's why it's been called a sanctuary.
50
00:03:16,487 --> 00:03:19,657
So, he got more and more involved
with the community as advisor.
51
00:03:19,657 --> 00:03:24,329
This is where his story begins, right?
His career.
52
00:03:28,249 --> 00:03:30,752
We watch over our forests every day.
53
00:03:30,752 --> 00:03:33,004
We have more than 1,000 farming plots.
54
00:03:33,004 --> 00:03:34,505
Now we plant trees.
55
00:03:34,505 --> 00:03:37,342
So, this place will always be safe,
56
00:03:37,342 --> 00:03:40,511
but we've got to work
to protect our monarch butterfly,
57
00:03:40,511 --> 00:03:44,474
one of Mexico's natural wonders.
58
00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:49,687
Homero was a joker.
59
00:03:49,687 --> 00:03:52,941
But at the same time,
he was very affectionate.
60
00:03:53,900 --> 00:03:57,820
He'd hug his kids
and tell them how much he loved them.
61
00:04:01,699 --> 00:04:04,244
He was thrilled
when little Homero was born.
62
00:04:08,706 --> 00:04:11,876
When I gave birth, he told me,
"Ask me for anything you want."
63
00:04:11,876 --> 00:04:13,086
{\an8}And I asked him why.
64
00:04:13,086 --> 00:04:16,256
{\an8}He said, "I want to thank you
for giving me a son."
65
00:04:16,256 --> 00:04:18,091
{\an8}HOMERO'S WIFE
66
00:04:19,592 --> 00:04:21,302
We were so happy back then.
67
00:04:21,302 --> 00:04:23,638
We need trees for butterflies to live.
68
00:04:23,638 --> 00:04:25,723
Now, where do butterflies land?
69
00:04:25,723 --> 00:04:27,558
My dad was a happy man.
70
00:04:30,019 --> 00:04:33,940
My earliest memories with him
are going for walks in the forest.
71
00:04:35,650 --> 00:04:37,402
I played with butterflies.
72
00:04:37,402 --> 00:04:39,737
{\an8}They'd fly so close to me,
73
00:04:39,737 --> 00:04:43,032
{\an8}I tried to touch them,
but they wouldn't let me.
74
00:04:43,866 --> 00:04:46,577
He'd take pictures of the butterflies
75
00:04:46,577 --> 00:04:48,746
even when they were deep inside trees.
76
00:04:53,918 --> 00:04:57,797
This morning, there are
hundreds of butterflies flying,
77
00:04:58,756 --> 00:05:02,719
because they are forming several colonies
which I came across this morning.
78
00:05:02,719 --> 00:05:04,846
We're going to see them right now.
79
00:05:08,975 --> 00:05:10,893
So, he was a leader of his community,
80
00:05:10,893 --> 00:05:14,397
which is an area of communally-owned land.
81
00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:17,567
It's an area that's very rich in forests.
82
00:05:17,567 --> 00:05:19,235
There's a lot of water there.
83
00:05:19,235 --> 00:05:21,154
The trees grow really quickly.
84
00:05:21,154 --> 00:05:23,197
But it's also a very poor region.
85
00:05:24,782 --> 00:05:26,617
And Homero became responsible
86
00:05:26,617 --> 00:05:30,830
for promoting the protection
of the monarch butterfly sanctuary.
87
00:05:42,258 --> 00:05:44,927
A baby deer sleeping here
88
00:05:45,428 --> 00:05:47,347
in the monarch butterfly woods.
89
00:05:49,390 --> 00:05:52,226
It camouflages with the branch.
90
00:05:52,226 --> 00:05:54,145
And I found it sound asleep.
91
00:05:55,313 --> 00:05:56,606
A baby deer.
92
00:05:57,106 --> 00:05:58,399
It's the season
93
00:05:59,525 --> 00:06:01,069
when fawns are born.
94
00:06:02,737 --> 00:06:05,198
The monarch butterfly sanctuary
in Michoacán
95
00:06:05,198 --> 00:06:07,075
is opening its doors to the public
96
00:06:07,075 --> 00:06:10,161
to welcome thousands of visitors
until March 31.
97
00:06:10,161 --> 00:06:12,205
The state tourism department
98
00:06:12,205 --> 00:06:15,208
noted that 225,000 visitors are expected,
99
00:06:15,208 --> 00:06:16,834
both national and foreign,
100
00:06:16,834 --> 00:06:19,629
in the Rosario
and Sierra Chincua sanctuaries.
101
00:06:19,629 --> 00:06:21,547
BUTTERFLIES 300 METERS AHEAD
102
00:06:25,426 --> 00:06:27,220
They're beautiful.
103
00:06:27,220 --> 00:06:28,137
I'm teary-eyed.
104
00:06:28,137 --> 00:06:31,057
One of the most beautiful things
we've ever seen.
105
00:06:50,701 --> 00:06:53,371
At first, he'd post pictures of himself
with the butterfly
106
00:06:53,371 --> 00:06:55,206
and write explanations on Facebook.
107
00:06:55,748 --> 00:06:58,918
Eventually, he asked me to film him.
108
00:06:58,918 --> 00:07:00,253
Greetings from El Rosario...
109
00:07:00,253 --> 00:07:02,755
In the beginning, he made many mistakes.
110
00:07:03,423 --> 00:07:05,716
He'd say, "Cut. Let's start over."
111
00:07:05,716 --> 00:07:08,136
We even created our own signs.
112
00:07:08,136 --> 00:07:11,139
He'd signal, and I'd start filming.
113
00:07:11,139 --> 00:07:13,015
Today, I'm sharing this place
114
00:07:13,015 --> 00:07:15,893
with a natural wonder,
the monarch butterfly.
115
00:07:15,893 --> 00:07:19,313
Known as the traveler,
the brides of the sun, a world heritage.
116
00:07:19,313 --> 00:07:21,065
We invite you to come see.
117
00:07:21,065 --> 00:07:24,026
We're open daily from 8:00 to 5:00
until the end of March.
118
00:07:24,026 --> 00:07:28,990
He had many books about the monarchs,
their lives, their journey from Canada.
119
00:07:28,990 --> 00:07:31,159
He went to Canada to see the butterflies.
120
00:07:32,660 --> 00:07:34,954
He gathered all this information.
121
00:07:34,954 --> 00:07:38,791
He practically knew everything
there is to know about them.
122
00:07:50,052 --> 00:07:53,389
{\an8}It's easy to see why people
are so passionate,
123
00:07:53,389 --> 00:07:56,309
{\an8}so in love, so enthusiastic
about this butterfly,
124
00:07:56,309 --> 00:07:59,020
because it does what we call impossible.
125
00:08:00,229 --> 00:08:02,773
This insect has managed to permeate
126
00:08:02,773 --> 00:08:05,193
many societies, many different groups.
127
00:08:05,193 --> 00:08:08,112
These butterflies are symbols
of the impossible,
128
00:08:08,112 --> 00:08:09,655
of dreams.
129
00:08:09,655 --> 00:08:12,783
There are many references
to the idea of transformation,
130
00:08:12,783 --> 00:08:15,369
resilience, possibility, and the future,
131
00:08:15,995 --> 00:08:18,873
and the notion
of having more than one home.
132
00:08:18,873 --> 00:08:23,127
That's what I hear from the migrant groups
I work with north of the United States.
133
00:08:23,753 --> 00:08:25,213
Undocumented!
134
00:08:25,213 --> 00:08:26,714
Unafraid!
135
00:08:30,134 --> 00:08:33,679
There is a parallel between the experience
136
00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:37,350
and endurance of this nomad butterfly
and humans on the move.
137
00:08:44,607 --> 00:08:45,775
And at the same time,
138
00:08:45,775 --> 00:08:50,363
the butterfly is seen
as a carrier of the souls of the ancestors
139
00:08:50,363 --> 00:08:52,365
in Central Mexican cultures.
140
00:08:54,075 --> 00:08:58,996
The butterfly brings their relatives
to these Mexican festivities,
141
00:08:58,996 --> 00:09:02,667
which combine ancestral
and modern traditions.
142
00:09:04,335 --> 00:09:07,672
In this context, what's interesting to me
143
00:09:07,672 --> 00:09:10,591
is how it's connected to imaginary worlds.
144
00:09:14,262 --> 00:09:17,974
Thus, this butterfly manages to achieve
145
00:09:17,974 --> 00:09:19,850
what other creatures
wouldn't dare imagine.
146
00:09:20,685 --> 00:09:22,353
Let's start with the egg.
147
00:09:22,353 --> 00:09:26,899
The monarch lays its eggs
under the leaves of the milkweed plant.
148
00:09:27,692 --> 00:09:32,071
This plant also migrated from the south
to the north thousands of years ago.
149
00:09:33,030 --> 00:09:35,700
It's the only host plant
of the monarch butterfly.
150
00:09:42,623 --> 00:09:46,294
The caterpillar forms
what is known as a cocoon or a chrysalis.
151
00:09:47,211 --> 00:09:49,839
The organs which once belonged
to the caterpillar
152
00:09:49,839 --> 00:09:52,008
start turning into wings.
153
00:09:57,722 --> 00:10:00,891
Then it emerges as an adult butterfly,
154
00:10:00,891 --> 00:10:02,143
as a monarch.
155
00:10:05,396 --> 00:10:08,566
A monarch that is born in Canada
156
00:10:09,191 --> 00:10:11,319
will try to find a lake
157
00:10:11,319 --> 00:10:13,654
to benefit from the wind currents
158
00:10:13,654 --> 00:10:16,240
that will help propel it
and make its flight easier.
159
00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:19,327
KILOMETERS
160
00:10:31,380 --> 00:10:35,718
{\an8}LAKE ERIE
CANADA-US BORDER
161
00:10:41,974 --> 00:10:46,812
{\an8}WEST VIRGINIA, USA
162
00:10:53,653 --> 00:10:56,030
They'll cross what we know as the Midwest.
163
00:10:57,490 --> 00:11:03,496
{\an8}OKLAHOMA, USA
164
00:11:11,462 --> 00:11:14,465
{\an8}In the desert, they may face difficulties.
165
00:11:15,049 --> 00:11:18,886
{\an8}This is a hard time for the butterfly
because it's been flying for many days.
166
00:11:21,514 --> 00:11:24,892
It'll come across infrastructure
such as bridges, which can be complicated.
167
00:11:28,813 --> 00:11:33,109
{\an8}The struggle through that last stretch
in Mexico is grueling,
168
00:11:33,109 --> 00:11:35,236
partly because there is no water,
169
00:11:35,236 --> 00:11:37,363
{\an8}and partly because plants are scarce.
170
00:11:37,363 --> 00:11:39,782
{\an8}There's no more milkweed and less nectar.
171
00:11:41,117 --> 00:11:43,577
Punctual to their expected arrival date,
172
00:11:43,577 --> 00:11:47,832
monarch butterflies fly over
the oyamel forests of Michoacán.
173
00:11:47,832 --> 00:11:50,584
The first swarms
arrive from southern Canada,
174
00:11:50,584 --> 00:11:53,212
crossing the United States
all the way to Mexico.
175
00:11:54,046 --> 00:11:56,215
They arrive
in the monarch butterfly reserve
176
00:11:56,757 --> 00:12:00,678
and head to the exact oyamel forest
177
00:12:00,678 --> 00:12:03,597
where their ancestors came from.
178
00:12:03,597 --> 00:12:05,725
And there, they take a break.
179
00:12:06,475 --> 00:12:07,643
They're tired.
180
00:12:08,144 --> 00:12:09,729
They've been flying for months,
181
00:12:10,604 --> 00:12:12,314
many thousands of kilometers,
182
00:12:13,107 --> 00:12:15,359
possibly with no water or food.
183
00:12:15,359 --> 00:12:17,653
The butterfly
will take a reproductive break,
184
00:12:17,653 --> 00:12:20,364
which we know as colonies.
185
00:12:20,364 --> 00:12:23,868
They wouldn't survive on their own
because of the weather conditions.
186
00:12:28,372 --> 00:12:31,792
{\an8}We've been open since November 19.
187
00:12:31,792 --> 00:12:34,545
{\an8}It's been a very successful season.
Crowds are coming.
188
00:12:34,545 --> 00:12:37,047
{\an8}Yesterday, we had 1,300 visitors.
1,000 the day before.
189
00:12:37,047 --> 00:12:39,216
{\an8}People are coming. We're doing great.
190
00:12:39,216 --> 00:12:42,470
We expect 180,000 tourists this season.
191
00:12:45,264 --> 00:12:48,851
The communities take care of their forests
because it's their home.
192
00:12:48,851 --> 00:12:51,771
They make use of their forests,
it's their livelihood,
193
00:12:51,771 --> 00:12:53,564
like other species do.
194
00:12:54,356 --> 00:12:59,111
When there is a change in local use
due to external demands,
195
00:12:59,111 --> 00:13:02,490
it opens the door
to other items and beings
196
00:13:02,490 --> 00:13:05,659
that may be harmful to human communities
197
00:13:05,659 --> 00:13:08,454
and to the forest,
or in this case, to the butterflies.
198
00:13:17,087 --> 00:13:19,632
Michoacán is rich in natural resources.
199
00:13:19,632 --> 00:13:21,258
It has all climates.
200
00:13:21,258 --> 00:13:25,221
But the east is especially rich in timber.
201
00:13:25,221 --> 00:13:28,307
It's rich in minerals too.
202
00:13:38,651 --> 00:13:42,488
In Michoacán alone, we've identified
at least 14 criminal groups.
203
00:13:42,488 --> 00:13:44,657
Those are the ones on record.
204
00:13:44,657 --> 00:13:46,700
Mencho Special Forces!
205
00:13:46,700 --> 00:13:47,743
The Correas.
206
00:13:48,285 --> 00:13:49,912
The Pájaros de la Sierra.
207
00:13:50,454 --> 00:13:52,039
The New Michoacán Family.
208
00:13:52,915 --> 00:13:53,916
The Viagras.
209
00:13:54,542 --> 00:13:55,793
United Cartels.
210
00:13:55,793 --> 00:13:57,920
And two big large-scale crime groups,
211
00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:00,089
Jalisco New Generation Cartel
212
00:14:00,089 --> 00:14:03,259
and the Sinaloa Cartel,
who have local allies.
213
00:14:03,259 --> 00:14:08,222
We're talking about trafficking
ranging from weapons to drugs.
214
00:14:08,722 --> 00:14:11,267
A significant portion of cartel income
215
00:14:11,267 --> 00:14:14,186
comes from manufacturing methamphetamines
216
00:14:14,186 --> 00:14:16,480
and setting up meth labs.
217
00:14:21,151 --> 00:14:23,779
{\an8}Michoacán is important to drug cartels
218
00:14:23,779 --> 00:14:26,949
{\an8}because it's part of the drug-trafficking
routes to the north.
219
00:14:26,949 --> 00:14:29,368
Different groups control these routes.
220
00:14:31,495 --> 00:14:33,497
It's the docking point
221
00:14:33,497 --> 00:14:35,916
for drug shipments
coming from South America.
222
00:14:35,916 --> 00:14:40,296
And then these shipments
must travel by land to get to the border.
223
00:14:47,845 --> 00:14:48,846
Damn it!
224
00:14:53,976 --> 00:14:55,853
Michoacán has become increasingly violent,
225
00:14:55,853 --> 00:14:59,523
as the 22% increase
in intentional homicides shows.
226
00:14:59,523 --> 00:15:02,776
Unfortunately,
this violence is far from over.
227
00:15:03,402 --> 00:15:06,280
This caused the cartels to split.
228
00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:10,910
In turn, their main criminal activity,
drug trafficking,
229
00:15:10,910 --> 00:15:13,746
evolved into a broader criminal portfolio,
230
00:15:13,746 --> 00:15:18,417
such as extortion, kidnapping,
and illegal logging,
231
00:15:18,417 --> 00:15:20,127
mainly for export.
232
00:16:12,471 --> 00:16:14,765
{\an8}Homero would say
233
00:16:14,765 --> 00:16:17,017
{\an8}that our forests are a goldmine.
234
00:16:17,017 --> 00:16:18,894
{\an8}A 30-meter pine tree
235
00:16:18,894 --> 00:16:21,063
can sell for 18,000 pesos.
236
00:16:55,431 --> 00:16:58,934
We've arrested people in the act,
cutting down the trees,
237
00:16:59,768 --> 00:17:01,020
stealing some trees.
238
00:17:01,020 --> 00:17:04,273
We closed the sanctuary
to demand help from the authorities.
239
00:17:04,273 --> 00:17:05,858
Instead, they cover for them.
240
00:17:13,282 --> 00:17:15,784
And we're proud to stand watch
241
00:17:15,784 --> 00:17:18,162
because our forests are preserved.
242
00:17:18,162 --> 00:17:21,165
It also helps in demanding attention
from the government.
243
00:17:54,114 --> 00:17:55,741
Since there's less noise at night,
244
00:17:55,741 --> 00:18:00,329
it's easier to hear a chainsaw
or someone chopping a tree.
245
00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:10,339
Rifles, machetes,
246
00:18:10,339 --> 00:18:12,216
that's all we take to the forest.
247
00:18:15,177 --> 00:18:16,845
We know we're at risk.
248
00:18:20,766 --> 00:18:24,019
Their advantage was knowing the woods
like the back of their hand.
249
00:18:38,033 --> 00:18:41,203
They'd just grab them
250
00:18:41,203 --> 00:18:43,205
and hand them over to the authorities.
251
00:18:51,713 --> 00:18:53,215
- Show your face, man.
- Face up!
252
00:18:53,215 --> 00:18:56,301
- He's your boss, man.
- Get him up.
253
00:18:56,301 --> 00:18:59,054
The locals,
armed with nothing but their courage
254
00:18:59,054 --> 00:19:02,057
and God knows what else,
confiscated the timber.
255
00:19:05,310 --> 00:19:08,981
When he found all the trees
they'd already cut down on the ground,
256
00:19:08,981 --> 00:19:10,315
he pressed charges.
257
00:19:11,733 --> 00:19:14,862
But what those people told him was,
258
00:19:15,529 --> 00:19:17,030
"See you when we get out."
259
00:19:22,661 --> 00:19:25,789
He said many times
at our community meetings,
260
00:19:25,789 --> 00:19:30,586
{\an8}"Brothers, let's keep defending
our interests in the woods,
261
00:19:30,586 --> 00:19:32,296
{\an8}here in our sanctuary."
262
00:19:32,296 --> 00:19:35,007
{\an8}"Even if someone gets killed,
263
00:19:35,007 --> 00:19:36,800
{\an8}they can't kill us all."
264
00:19:49,521 --> 00:19:54,651
Something he once told me
that still resonates in my mind
265
00:19:54,651 --> 00:19:58,864
was that organized crime's next step
266
00:19:58,864 --> 00:20:01,867
{\an8}would be to take over
the natural resources.
267
00:20:08,624 --> 00:20:13,295
He said they'd take control
of the water, the forest.
268
00:20:13,295 --> 00:20:15,088
And they certainly did.
269
00:20:15,088 --> 00:20:17,007
That's what we're going through now.
270
00:20:19,843 --> 00:20:24,765
Organized crime operates similarly
almost everywhere.
271
00:20:27,392 --> 00:20:32,648
You see a convoy
of 20, 30 armed men in trucks,
272
00:20:32,648 --> 00:20:36,109
driving by with chainsaws,
heading towards the woods.
273
00:20:44,326 --> 00:20:48,538
One truck after another
comes down from the hills with the timber.
274
00:20:58,257 --> 00:21:00,050
They were after the core area.
275
00:21:02,511 --> 00:21:04,638
The core area is an untouchable zone.
276
00:21:05,347 --> 00:21:08,141
It's the home of the monarch butterfly.
277
00:21:14,439 --> 00:21:17,985
Once the forest is cleared, they burn it.
278
00:21:19,987 --> 00:21:21,863
This land erodes,
279
00:21:21,863 --> 00:21:24,574
and they change how it's used.
280
00:21:24,574 --> 00:21:26,910
It's unsuitable to plant pine trees.
281
00:21:26,910 --> 00:21:29,830
It can be used for growing
whatever else you want,
282
00:21:29,830 --> 00:21:31,581
which is usually avocado.
283
00:21:37,587 --> 00:21:42,426
And this is how organized crime groups
earn additional income,
284
00:21:42,426 --> 00:21:44,386
by promoting avocado production
285
00:21:44,386 --> 00:21:49,308
in areas they exploited illegally
and took away from someone.
286
00:21:49,308 --> 00:21:51,476
Nowadays, many organized crime groups
287
00:21:51,476 --> 00:21:56,023
own hectares of avocado plantations.
288
00:22:24,593 --> 00:22:25,635
In the last decade,
289
00:22:25,635 --> 00:22:30,307
the demand for avocado has led
to an expansion into the natural reserve.
290
00:22:30,307 --> 00:22:33,560
It's challenging to contain this shift
291
00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:37,189
from protected forest
to avocado monocropping.
292
00:22:38,899 --> 00:22:42,152
I don't mean a shift to avocado crops
293
00:22:42,152 --> 00:22:45,906
would necessarily affect the butterfly,
but what we have now does
294
00:22:45,906 --> 00:22:47,991
because it also requires a lot of water.
295
00:22:48,492 --> 00:22:53,580
So, they start creating agricultural plots
and stealing the groundwater.
296
00:22:54,956 --> 00:22:57,542
This water comes
from the monarch butterfly forests
297
00:22:57,542 --> 00:23:01,922
and affects both human and non-human
communities, including the butterfly.
298
00:23:05,384 --> 00:23:07,636
Homero was worried
299
00:23:07,636 --> 00:23:11,890
because every other day,
there was yet another forest fire.
300
00:23:15,769 --> 00:23:16,895
He'd say,
301
00:23:18,063 --> 00:23:19,564
"The drug traffickers hit us."
302
00:23:20,232 --> 00:23:23,735
"They're gonna start charging us
for everything, even for our forests."
303
00:23:24,403 --> 00:23:26,530
And he said that, as long as he was alive,
304
00:23:26,530 --> 00:23:30,242
he wouldn't allow organized crime
to penetrate the community.
305
00:23:35,163 --> 00:23:36,498
They all know each other.
306
00:23:37,374 --> 00:23:40,669
If you live there and file a complaint,
307
00:23:40,669 --> 00:23:43,713
they find out
and come after you no matter what,
308
00:23:44,297 --> 00:23:45,882
after you or your family.
309
00:23:48,051 --> 00:23:49,678
"I have a serious problem
310
00:23:49,678 --> 00:23:51,930
which I don't think
I'll be able to solve."
311
00:23:53,974 --> 00:23:55,642
Those were his words.
312
00:23:57,477 --> 00:23:59,729
El Rosario Sanctuary has been abandoned.
313
00:23:59,729 --> 00:24:01,982
Homero Gómez pointed out
that a lack of safety
314
00:24:01,982 --> 00:24:06,695
reduced the number of visitors
by almost 70%.
315
00:24:06,695 --> 00:24:08,613
We don't allow logging.
316
00:24:08,613 --> 00:24:10,240
We risk our lives.
317
00:24:10,907 --> 00:24:14,661
And instead of listening to us
or assisting us, we're repressed.
318
00:24:14,661 --> 00:24:17,956
Homero became his own promotional agency.
319
00:24:17,956 --> 00:24:22,169
He'd talk as easily
to local or national media
320
00:24:22,169 --> 00:24:26,214
as to international organizations.
321
00:24:26,214 --> 00:24:29,342
He knew that, through the press,
322
00:24:29,342 --> 00:24:31,845
with the international spotlight
323
00:24:31,845 --> 00:24:34,681
from state and nationwide media,
324
00:24:34,681 --> 00:24:36,725
{\an8}he could have a bigger impact.
325
00:24:36,725 --> 00:24:40,270
{\an8}The monarch butterfly sanctuary
is painfully threatened
326
00:24:40,270 --> 00:24:43,982
{\an8}by the illegal logging
of up to 500 trees per day.
327
00:24:43,982 --> 00:24:48,278
Every year, prime-time news broadcasts
328
00:24:48,278 --> 00:24:51,781
report the arrival
of the monarch butterfly.
329
00:24:51,781 --> 00:24:54,993
But in doing so, they'd also shed light
on the dark side of the story,
330
00:24:54,993 --> 00:24:57,412
the deforestation
of the biosphere reserve.
331
00:24:57,412 --> 00:25:00,499
They'd interview Homero regularly.
332
00:25:00,499 --> 00:25:02,834
There were threats of illegal logging,
333
00:25:02,834 --> 00:25:05,921
but the townsfolk got together
and stopped it.
334
00:25:05,921 --> 00:25:08,340
After that, we've detained people.
335
00:25:08,340 --> 00:25:11,218
He'd inform us about things,
"They've arrived."
336
00:25:11,218 --> 00:25:16,515
And we'd see how the homicide rate
increased in the region,
337
00:25:16,515 --> 00:25:19,309
the kidnappings, abductions.
338
00:25:19,309 --> 00:25:22,437
He would say this off camera
because he was careful.
339
00:25:22,979 --> 00:25:25,774
Pressure by the media
and Homero's social activism
340
00:25:25,774 --> 00:25:30,529
pushed the authorities to crack down
on organized crime members.
341
00:25:30,529 --> 00:25:34,366
It forced them to carry out operations,
conduct investigations,
342
00:25:34,366 --> 00:25:38,245
and seize illegal logging shipments.
343
00:25:43,708 --> 00:25:47,337
The drug cartels in the region
began getting uncomfortable
344
00:25:47,337 --> 00:25:50,715
because he'd draw attention
to the reserve.
345
00:25:50,715 --> 00:25:55,178
In his effort to find sustenance
for himself, his family, his communities,
346
00:25:55,178 --> 00:25:56,888
which saw him as a leader,
347
00:25:56,888 --> 00:26:00,809
he collided with organized crime groups.
348
00:26:13,863 --> 00:26:18,618
In Michoacán,
organized crime seeks political power.
349
00:26:18,618 --> 00:26:20,787
For some reason,
350
00:26:22,247 --> 00:26:27,586
they need and want to be
the political structure
351
00:26:27,586 --> 00:26:29,879
that controls everything.
352
00:26:29,879 --> 00:26:31,506
They want to be
353
00:26:32,424 --> 00:26:33,717
like Pablo Escobar.
354
00:26:35,010 --> 00:26:37,887
This state's most recent governors,
355
00:26:37,887 --> 00:26:40,390
at least the last four or five,
356
00:26:40,390 --> 00:26:43,602
have had a direct connection
to organized crime.
357
00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:50,900
{\an8}We will solve the safety problem!
358
00:26:50,900 --> 00:26:51,818
MICHOACÁN POLICE
359
00:26:52,652 --> 00:26:54,904
{\an8}We'll govern Michoacán!
360
00:26:54,904 --> 00:26:56,698
{\an8}And we'll make Michoacán
361
00:26:56,698 --> 00:27:00,785
{\an8}one of Mexico's safest states!
362
00:27:00,785 --> 00:27:01,786
Thank you.
363
00:27:02,287 --> 00:27:04,873
Activists and politicians in Michoacán
364
00:27:04,873 --> 00:27:08,043
have been making accusations
in the local press
365
00:27:08,043 --> 00:27:11,087
against Silvano Aureoles.
366
00:27:11,630 --> 00:27:14,132
Silvano Aureoles spent millions
367
00:27:14,132 --> 00:27:16,885
in building seven bunkers
during his administration.
368
00:27:22,724 --> 00:27:28,146
{\an8}Silvano was caught supporting
the Knights Templar Cartel.
369
00:27:28,146 --> 00:27:31,941
{\an8}Apparently, Dulce,
head of the Knights Templar,
370
00:27:31,941 --> 00:27:35,654
{\an8}gave him two million dollars
a couple of days ago.
371
00:27:35,654 --> 00:27:38,406
{\an8}They're saying that they gave you
two million dollars.
372
00:27:38,406 --> 00:27:40,241
{\an8}I'm telling you, Ciro.
373
00:27:40,241 --> 00:27:41,785
I'm open to an investigation.
374
00:27:42,619 --> 00:27:47,374
I was very determined
375
00:27:47,374 --> 00:27:50,460
{\an8}to put these things in order.
376
00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:54,255
{\an8}I strengthened the state's capabilities.
377
00:27:54,255 --> 00:27:56,257
However, at the local level,
378
00:27:56,257 --> 00:27:59,219
municipalities
are completely defenselessness.
379
00:27:59,219 --> 00:28:03,223
These criminal groups start roaming around
and putting pressure on them
380
00:28:03,223 --> 00:28:05,058
for their business.
381
00:28:05,058 --> 00:28:08,019
What is the business
of these criminal groups?
382
00:28:08,019 --> 00:28:09,020
Drug trafficking
383
00:28:10,063 --> 00:28:12,357
and illegal logging.
384
00:28:16,986 --> 00:28:21,866
Participating in illegal logging
is a huge business.
385
00:28:21,866 --> 00:28:23,993
It's very attractive.
386
00:28:23,993 --> 00:28:28,915
I'd even venture to say,
now more than back then,
387
00:28:29,499 --> 00:28:34,587
exploiting timber illegally
is more profitable than growing marijuana.
388
00:28:37,882 --> 00:28:41,678
Homero and the people of El Rosario
confronted them
389
00:28:41,678 --> 00:28:43,847
in order to safeguard their community.
390
00:28:44,806 --> 00:28:47,600
You can see
in the region's neighboring communities
391
00:28:48,101 --> 00:28:52,147
how their forests have been depleted.
392
00:28:52,147 --> 00:28:54,649
But El Rosario preserved theirs. Why?
393
00:28:54,649 --> 00:29:00,280
Thanks to Homero's tenacity
and courage in confronting them.
394
00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:01,990
There were even gunfights.
395
00:29:05,869 --> 00:29:07,203
And on the other hand,
396
00:29:07,203 --> 00:29:09,497
he and I had our disagreements.
397
00:29:10,081 --> 00:29:15,503
Although I agreed with his cause,
there was resistance
398
00:29:15,503 --> 00:29:20,550
because he felt that we were encroaching
on his political territory.
399
00:29:22,677 --> 00:29:24,262
This is a great opportunity.
400
00:29:24,262 --> 00:29:27,056
We can tell our neighbor
401
00:29:27,056 --> 00:29:29,225
that he can plant trees
402
00:29:29,225 --> 00:29:32,604
because he will receive a monthly income.
403
00:29:32,604 --> 00:29:37,984
The governor could say whatever he liked
in his press conferences,
404
00:29:37,984 --> 00:29:42,822
but the truth is he didn't care
about the monarch butterfly
405
00:29:42,822 --> 00:29:44,240
and our eastern forests.
406
00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:45,909
Homero would also say,
407
00:29:45,909 --> 00:29:49,704
"Although he's my friend, he's ignored me.
I don't get answers."
408
00:29:49,704 --> 00:29:52,999
Governor Silvano made a promise,
but he never honored it.
409
00:29:52,999 --> 00:29:55,502
We've never seen any of them around here.
410
00:29:55,502 --> 00:29:58,838
We make sure no one cuts down the trees.
411
00:29:58,838 --> 00:30:00,089
We risk our lives.
412
00:30:00,089 --> 00:30:03,760
The saying goes that being the drunk
is not the same as being the bartender.
413
00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:04,761
So, I mean,
414
00:30:05,845 --> 00:30:10,141
it's not the same to be on the side
of those who protest, who demand,
415
00:30:10,141 --> 00:30:12,227
as it is to be on the government's side,
416
00:30:12,227 --> 00:30:15,522
where you must make decisions
from an official standpoint.
417
00:30:20,109 --> 00:30:24,531
He'd angrily complain
I was not doing what was necessary
418
00:30:24,531 --> 00:30:27,325
to help as much as they wanted me to.
419
00:30:27,325 --> 00:30:30,954
He took the money.
The 4.5 million pesos are gone.
420
00:30:30,954 --> 00:30:33,039
There's no money to pay people,
no resources.
421
00:30:33,039 --> 00:30:35,166
{\an8}- People can't work this way.
- One at a time.
422
00:30:35,166 --> 00:30:38,002
{\an8}Otherwise, it'll be an endless list.
423
00:30:38,002 --> 00:30:40,839
So, we went to protest against Silvano.
424
00:30:40,839 --> 00:30:44,217
Let's look for solutions.
Let's forget the past.
425
00:30:44,217 --> 00:30:47,971
We thought Silvano was his friend.
426
00:30:47,971 --> 00:30:50,223
In the end, we realized he wasn't.
427
00:30:50,223 --> 00:30:51,641
Film this, for the record.
428
00:30:52,642 --> 00:30:57,564
And that's when they grabbed Homero
and arrested him.
429
00:31:01,109 --> 00:31:04,696
"If they don't set him free,
we'll gather the people."
430
00:31:05,572 --> 00:31:08,825
"If we're 250 people,
a thousand will come."
431
00:31:10,743 --> 00:31:11,911
Everyone come this way!
432
00:31:12,537 --> 00:31:14,163
- Turn here.
- Come this way.
433
00:31:14,163 --> 00:31:15,415
Turn this way!
434
00:31:16,416 --> 00:31:18,293
They let him go, we all came back.
435
00:31:19,377 --> 00:31:22,046
We got to El Rosario around 3:00 a.m.
436
00:31:22,046 --> 00:31:23,590
But we made it back with him.
437
00:31:24,340 --> 00:31:27,802
So, in the monarch butterfly reserve,
we have a powder keg
438
00:31:27,802 --> 00:31:29,846
with political groups in conflict,
439
00:31:30,555 --> 00:31:34,309
criminal organizations vying for control,
440
00:31:34,309 --> 00:31:38,021
and a rival who challenged them,
who cornered them,
441
00:31:38,021 --> 00:31:39,856
who made the problem visible,
442
00:31:39,856 --> 00:31:44,193
and who offered
an alternative political movement.
443
00:31:44,193 --> 00:31:46,905
It's historic. The butterflies
have never arrived so late.
444
00:31:46,905 --> 00:31:49,324
This is the result of climate change.
445
00:31:49,324 --> 00:31:51,534
Northern countries endanger the monarch.
446
00:31:51,534 --> 00:31:54,287
They use pesticides indiscriminately
447
00:31:54,287 --> 00:31:57,457
and huge belts of transgenic corn,
also killing the trees.
448
00:31:57,457 --> 00:32:00,460
That's where the problem lies,
a problem called Monsanto.
449
00:32:00,460 --> 00:32:04,130
{\an8}He always fought for us
and always wanted to be our mayor.
450
00:32:04,130 --> 00:32:05,590
He ran for office.
451
00:32:06,174 --> 00:32:08,343
Our governor has made changes
452
00:32:08,343 --> 00:32:11,429
in tourism and culture,
which they never did in the past.
453
00:32:11,429 --> 00:32:14,515
There are still people
who are only here for a photo.
454
00:32:14,515 --> 00:32:16,601
They want to be close to the governor,
455
00:32:16,601 --> 00:32:19,228
but when we look for their help,
they turn their backs.
456
00:32:19,729 --> 00:32:21,731
I'm glad the governor is making changes.
457
00:32:22,941 --> 00:32:25,401
My brother got into politics
458
00:32:25,401 --> 00:32:30,323
mostly because of his activism or love
for nature and the monarch butterfly.
459
00:32:30,323 --> 00:32:34,077
But in reality,
my brother wasn't the kind of man
460
00:32:34,077 --> 00:32:35,703
{\an8}who was interested in power.
461
00:32:35,703 --> 00:32:38,539
{\an8}He did it as social work.
It was about friendship,
462
00:32:38,539 --> 00:32:41,584
about helping the people,
because he did many things.
463
00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:49,592
{\an8}And people from El Rosario know this,
that's why they love him.
464
00:32:49,592 --> 00:32:52,053
{\an8}Because during the time he was there,
465
00:32:52,053 --> 00:32:55,473
great things were accomplished
that I believe will not be repeated.
466
00:33:04,190 --> 00:33:05,692
When my dad ran for office,
467
00:33:06,442 --> 00:33:08,027
he was kidnapped.
468
00:33:08,027 --> 00:33:11,197
It was to pressure him
and make it clear that he couldn't win.
469
00:33:13,533 --> 00:33:16,786
They said he had to make
his people vote for someone else
470
00:33:16,786 --> 00:33:19,038
or to tell them not to vote.
471
00:33:22,583 --> 00:33:26,295
They threatened him by saying
that if he won the mayoral election,
472
00:33:26,295 --> 00:33:29,173
they would go after him
and his entire family.
473
00:33:34,554 --> 00:33:35,513
They wanted
474
00:33:36,180 --> 00:33:37,140
to negotiate.
475
00:33:39,976 --> 00:33:45,148
They demanded he stop protesting
and let them do their illegal logging.
476
00:33:50,486 --> 00:33:52,321
They released my father at dawn.
477
00:33:52,989 --> 00:33:55,074
The following day was election day.
478
00:33:55,616 --> 00:34:00,079
They spent all that Saturday
convincing people not to vote.
479
00:34:05,543 --> 00:34:10,214
At that time, there were rumors
about two abducted people.
480
00:34:10,214 --> 00:34:12,050
Everything was closed
481
00:34:12,050 --> 00:34:15,136
because someone was found murdered.
482
00:34:17,138 --> 00:34:20,516
This area had
the highest kidnapping rate at the time.
483
00:34:22,852 --> 00:34:26,564
Community members were abducted
and found dead the next day.
484
00:34:26,564 --> 00:34:30,526
During election season,
candidates would be killed.
485
00:34:32,403 --> 00:34:35,156
He'd spend a lot of time
next to the windows.
486
00:34:35,156 --> 00:34:39,702
If a car drove by, he'd look out
to see if they were coming to get him
487
00:34:39,702 --> 00:34:41,454
because he was already worried.
488
00:34:42,789 --> 00:34:47,293
I was kidnapped by the groups
that were operating here in Michoacán,
489
00:34:47,293 --> 00:34:50,922
but that didn't keep us from fighting.
490
00:34:55,426 --> 00:35:01,349
JANUARY 13, 2020
491
00:35:03,184 --> 00:35:06,646
{\an8}That morning, he told me to wait for him,
492
00:35:06,646 --> 00:35:09,357
{\an8}that he wouldn't take long
at this meeting.
493
00:35:09,941 --> 00:35:13,236
After the meeting,
he was gonna drop me off at school.
494
00:35:21,702 --> 00:35:24,330
He received one call after another.
495
00:35:24,330 --> 00:35:28,501
I guess they were asking him
if he'd go to the town's horse races.
496
00:35:30,753 --> 00:35:33,673
The person calling him was Elizabeth,
497
00:35:34,215 --> 00:35:36,801
the municipal trustee.
498
00:35:37,385 --> 00:35:40,471
He left the meeting
to take my nephew Homero to the bus.
499
00:35:41,639 --> 00:35:43,307
He called me and said,
500
00:35:43,307 --> 00:35:46,435
"Tell Homero Junior I'm on my way,
but grab me a shirt
501
00:35:46,435 --> 00:35:48,646
because I have no time to change."
502
00:35:50,356 --> 00:35:54,152
It was the town fair's last day.
He said he was going to the horse races.
503
00:35:54,152 --> 00:35:58,823
There were big politicians at the fair,
and they were waiting for him.
504
00:35:59,782 --> 00:36:04,662
So, I sent Homero Junior
with his shirt on a hanger.
505
00:36:06,164 --> 00:36:10,626
We were talking. He asked me about
my classes next semester.
506
00:36:11,377 --> 00:36:13,379
I told him about the subjects.
507
00:36:13,880 --> 00:36:17,383
And then, we suddenly stopped talking.
508
00:36:26,017 --> 00:36:27,894
Then I took the bus.
509
00:36:31,689 --> 00:36:33,274
It was the last time I saw him.
510
00:36:38,196 --> 00:36:41,073
Homero would go to the local horse tracks.
511
00:36:45,745 --> 00:36:47,205
Leaders invited him.
512
00:36:50,833 --> 00:36:51,918
It was
513
00:36:52,793 --> 00:36:54,712
both a social and business gathering.
514
00:37:01,427 --> 00:37:03,179
They're off!
515
00:37:16,108 --> 00:37:20,529
He appeared in a picture on Facebook
with other people.
516
00:37:21,530 --> 00:37:23,532
So I thought, "He's having a good time."
517
00:37:52,687 --> 00:37:55,731
It was around 9:00 or 10:00 p.m.,
518
00:37:56,440 --> 00:37:57,692
and I couldn't sleep.
519
00:37:59,151 --> 00:38:01,988
It was four o'clock in the morning,
and he hadn't come home.
520
00:38:01,988 --> 00:38:03,322
I said, "Where is he?"
521
00:38:03,322 --> 00:38:07,785
My mom called me
and asked if I'd heard from him
522
00:38:07,785 --> 00:38:09,704
because she couldn't reach him.
523
00:38:16,210 --> 00:38:20,214
So, I started calling the police.
524
00:38:20,214 --> 00:38:22,883
There was no trace of my dad or his car.
525
00:38:25,845 --> 00:38:28,097
I was the first one
to go out looking for him.
526
00:38:28,097 --> 00:38:30,057
I had a bad feeling.
527
00:38:30,641 --> 00:38:33,811
When I arrived at the location
where the event had taken place,
528
00:38:34,478 --> 00:38:36,772
the first thing I saw was his car.
529
00:38:39,025 --> 00:38:40,067
{\an8}But he wasn't there.
530
00:38:40,067 --> 00:38:42,945
{\an8}So when I saw that,
531
00:38:42,945 --> 00:38:45,281
I didn't like it at all.
Something was wrong.
532
00:38:46,574 --> 00:38:48,409
I called Elizabeth,
533
00:38:48,909 --> 00:38:51,162
who was one
of Ocampo's municipal trustees.
534
00:38:51,162 --> 00:38:54,874
And she said,
"Your dad was with government officials."
535
00:38:56,876 --> 00:38:59,879
With Octavio Ocampo,
who was a deputy at that time,
536
00:39:00,588 --> 00:39:03,049
with Councilwoman Karina Alvarado.
537
00:39:04,216 --> 00:39:05,926
She said I should call her.
538
00:39:06,719 --> 00:39:08,179
So I called her.
539
00:39:08,179 --> 00:39:11,390
She said that when they left the fair,
my dad was still there.
540
00:39:11,390 --> 00:39:12,600
SNACK BAR
541
00:39:12,600 --> 00:39:17,605
I spent the entire day
terrified and worried sick calling my dad.
542
00:39:17,605 --> 00:39:20,483
The phone would ring, but no one answered.
543
00:39:21,776 --> 00:39:24,904
It was January 14,
544
00:39:25,529 --> 00:39:29,700
around 4:00 p.m., when someone
finally answered my dad's phone.
545
00:39:31,952 --> 00:39:32,870
It was a man.
546
00:39:33,371 --> 00:39:37,083
He said that my father
had left his phone and his tablet
547
00:39:37,083 --> 00:39:38,876
at a taco stand.
548
00:39:40,753 --> 00:39:42,963
He said that he took the phone home.
549
00:39:44,298 --> 00:39:46,342
My dad never forgot his phone,
550
00:39:46,342 --> 00:39:49,553
because it was tourist season
and they'd be calling him there.
551
00:39:50,679 --> 00:39:52,515
I asked the man if he knew anything.
552
00:39:52,515 --> 00:39:55,142
He said my dad
had walked out of their sight.
553
00:40:07,571 --> 00:40:09,949
I went back home
and my entire family was there.
554
00:40:09,949 --> 00:40:11,075
And they told me
555
00:40:12,410 --> 00:40:13,994
my dad was nowhere to be found.
556
00:40:18,332 --> 00:40:20,376
I said, "I'll go look for him."
557
00:40:27,675 --> 00:40:30,636
We went to the Attorney General's Office.
They suggested we wait
558
00:40:30,636 --> 00:40:32,221
before filing a report.
559
00:40:32,221 --> 00:40:34,974
So we filed the formal complaint
the next day.
560
00:40:34,974 --> 00:40:37,059
PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
561
00:40:40,563 --> 00:40:42,815
They called it "virtual kidnapping."
562
00:40:42,815 --> 00:40:48,154
They explained to us that this happens
when you're threatened over the phone.
563
00:40:48,154 --> 00:40:51,740
They take the victim somewhere,
like a hotel
564
00:40:51,740 --> 00:40:53,284
or maybe a church,
565
00:40:54,493 --> 00:40:56,620
and then coerce the victim's relatives.
566
00:40:57,663 --> 00:40:59,582
They said he could be anywhere.
567
00:41:01,041 --> 00:41:03,544
{\an8}When they filed the report,
568
00:41:03,544 --> 00:41:06,797
{\an8}the authorities reacted
with complete indifference,
569
00:41:07,423 --> 00:41:08,924
{\an8}as if underestimating the case.
570
00:41:08,924 --> 00:41:11,302
{\an8}They kept saying
it was a virtual kidnapping,
571
00:41:11,302 --> 00:41:13,471
{\an8}he was out there, and they were on it.
572
00:41:13,471 --> 00:41:17,766
What we see
is induced apathy by the authorities
573
00:41:17,766 --> 00:41:20,769
in order to coexist with criminal groups.
574
00:41:25,858 --> 00:41:28,319
I did an interview.
575
00:41:28,319 --> 00:41:30,070
I said harsh things.
576
00:41:30,070 --> 00:41:32,740
I announced my brother's disappearance
577
00:41:32,740 --> 00:41:37,036
and the attorney general's negligence
in not acting.
578
00:41:37,912 --> 00:41:40,998
The article was on the front page.
579
00:41:40,998 --> 00:41:44,001
It was an editorial decision.
It was headline news.
580
00:41:44,919 --> 00:41:47,796
International organizations
were joining our plea
581
00:41:47,796 --> 00:41:49,548
by at least spreading the word,
582
00:41:49,548 --> 00:41:54,887
pressuring the government
to start looking for Homero.
583
00:41:54,887 --> 00:41:56,347
PROTECTION FOR ACTIVISTS
584
00:41:56,347 --> 00:41:59,016
It was important news in every aspect.
585
00:41:59,016 --> 00:42:02,978
Furthermore, it was January,
and the butterflies hadn't left.
586
00:42:07,691 --> 00:42:10,069
Michoacán's Attorney General
issued a bulletin
587
00:42:10,069 --> 00:42:13,739
for the disappearance
of activist Homero Gómez González.
588
00:42:13,739 --> 00:42:16,742
The State Commission for Human Rights
urged authorities
589
00:42:16,742 --> 00:42:19,495
to intensify the search for Homero Gómez.
590
00:42:19,495 --> 00:42:21,288
After that, everything was set in motion.
591
00:42:21,288 --> 00:42:24,124
State officials got in touch with us,
592
00:42:24,708 --> 00:42:27,211
people from the UN, the media.
593
00:42:29,421 --> 00:42:32,800
I got calls from locals and friends.
594
00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:35,886
The next day at 8:00 in the morning,
595
00:42:35,886 --> 00:42:38,472
300 people gathered to look for him.
596
00:42:39,348 --> 00:42:44,019
Then it'll be one team on this side
and another on the other.
597
00:42:44,019 --> 00:42:46,855
And we'll all end
at the bottom of the hill.
598
00:42:46,855 --> 00:42:49,191
Let's hope we're successful.
599
00:42:55,155 --> 00:42:56,532
Did you already look here?
600
00:42:56,532 --> 00:42:57,449
No.
601
00:42:58,075 --> 00:43:01,912
The hole all the way down there is where
we found the man that was kidnapped.
602
00:43:01,912 --> 00:43:04,164
Someone could be there.
603
00:43:04,164 --> 00:43:05,791
- Maybe.
- Further down.
604
00:43:08,544 --> 00:43:12,172
Those brigades were made up
of locals and townsfolk
605
00:43:12,172 --> 00:43:14,341
who volunteered to join the search.
606
00:43:14,341 --> 00:43:16,510
- There's an opening on that side.
- Okay.
607
00:43:16,510 --> 00:43:19,221
It was impressive.
608
00:43:19,221 --> 00:43:22,391
When we got there,
all these people were waiting for us.
609
00:43:22,391 --> 00:43:24,768
We were divided into groups.
610
00:43:26,270 --> 00:43:30,524
Gómez González, chairman
of the board of directors of El Rosario,
611
00:43:30,524 --> 00:43:33,819
where the largest
monarch butterfly sanctuary is located,
612
00:43:33,819 --> 00:43:37,364
was last seen on Monday evening
after leaving a meeting...
613
00:43:37,364 --> 00:43:41,285
He disappeared from Ocampo on January 13.
614
00:43:43,037 --> 00:43:47,082
There is still no indication
of his whereabouts.
615
00:43:55,507 --> 00:43:58,636
We began the search
at the point where he was last seen.
616
00:44:00,888 --> 00:44:02,723
It was a strategic search.
617
00:44:02,723 --> 00:44:08,520
From there, we expanded our search
to other areas.
618
00:44:28,457 --> 00:44:29,917
Someone called me.
619
00:44:31,877 --> 00:44:34,046
"You know we have your husband?"
620
00:44:36,131 --> 00:44:40,344
Rebeca called me and said
she received a call asking for a ransom.
621
00:44:40,344 --> 00:44:41,762
I said, "I want to see him."
622
00:44:41,762 --> 00:44:43,305
They sent me a picture
623
00:44:44,473 --> 00:44:46,016
with Homero on his knees
624
00:44:46,850 --> 00:44:49,645
and other men behind him
dressed as soldiers
625
00:44:49,645 --> 00:44:54,650
and pointing guns at Homero's head.
626
00:44:54,650 --> 00:44:57,277
They said Homero was okay,
that they'd return him.
627
00:44:57,277 --> 00:45:00,322
They said they took him
628
00:45:00,906 --> 00:45:03,534
to teach him a lesson or something.
629
00:45:03,534 --> 00:45:08,580
They said if we paid,
Homero would be back by noon.
630
00:45:08,580 --> 00:45:12,167
We were desperate,
so we thought we should pay.
631
00:45:19,466 --> 00:45:21,510
My mom went out to make the deposit.
632
00:45:21,510 --> 00:45:24,138
Throughout the journey,
they kept calling her,
633
00:45:24,138 --> 00:45:27,850
saying they were following her,
634
00:45:27,850 --> 00:45:31,645
urging her to deposit the money
because they were watching us closely.
635
00:45:34,440 --> 00:45:38,235
They asked her for 100,000 pesos,
but she ended up depositing 50,000.
636
00:45:55,043 --> 00:45:57,296
The next day, they called her back.
637
00:45:59,256 --> 00:46:03,010
My Uncle Amado told us to catch up
with him at the prosecutor's office.
638
00:46:03,010 --> 00:46:04,344
We were terrified.
639
00:46:04,344 --> 00:46:09,099
They kept calling
to say they were following us.
640
00:46:10,851 --> 00:46:13,604
And the prosecutor told me,
"Don't give them the money."
641
00:46:14,688 --> 00:46:16,648
Crying, I told him,
642
00:46:17,274 --> 00:46:19,026
"But they're gonna kill him."
643
00:46:19,026 --> 00:46:23,030
The case was transferred
to the specialized kidnapping unit.
644
00:46:23,030 --> 00:46:28,577
{\an8}We began using phone tracking techniques.
645
00:46:28,577 --> 00:46:35,000
The calls Homero's family were receiving
646
00:46:35,584 --> 00:46:38,712
were traced to a prison in Tamaulipas.
647
00:46:39,671 --> 00:46:43,759
It's been two weeks since environmentalist
Homero Gómez was taken.
648
00:46:43,759 --> 00:46:46,762
Unfortunately, Homero's family
649
00:46:46,762 --> 00:46:50,307
has fallen victim to extortion
by false kidnappers.
650
00:46:50,307 --> 00:46:53,060
There's no clue
on the activist's whereabouts.
651
00:46:54,144 --> 00:46:55,813
That line of investigation is closed,
652
00:46:55,813 --> 00:47:00,901
and it's handed over to the homicide unit,
which I represent.
653
00:47:00,901 --> 00:47:04,863
We'd continue the investigation.
However, kidnapping has been ruled out.
654
00:47:04,863 --> 00:47:09,117
{\an8}I have faith that we will find him,
655
00:47:09,117 --> 00:47:11,912
{\an8}but I hope we find him alive.
656
00:47:11,912 --> 00:47:15,833
It's a delicate matter.
Very unfortunate and painful.
657
00:47:16,375 --> 00:47:18,460
No matter what the governor says,
658
00:47:19,044 --> 00:47:22,297
even when he claims he'd give
his own life for this man to appear,
659
00:47:22,297 --> 00:47:24,383
the fact is he disappeared,
660
00:47:24,383 --> 00:47:27,261
and the fact is that illegal sawmills
661
00:47:27,970 --> 00:47:29,930
are still operating in Michoacán.
662
00:47:39,231 --> 00:47:44,236
Some people said that they knew
where he was being held.
663
00:48:00,168 --> 00:48:02,796
We looked there but found nothing.
664
00:48:02,796 --> 00:48:05,424
The police questioned those people,
665
00:48:05,424 --> 00:48:07,050
but they wouldn't talk.
666
00:48:07,050 --> 00:48:08,135
They were afraid.
667
00:48:12,014 --> 00:48:16,685
{\an8}In Michoacán, state police took control
of security in Ocampo and Angangueo,
668
00:48:16,685 --> 00:48:19,897
{\an8}since 53 police officers
from those municipalities
669
00:48:19,897 --> 00:48:23,358
{\an8}are being investigated
for the disappearance of Homero Gómez,
670
00:48:23,358 --> 00:48:26,111
{\an8}activist of the monarch butterfly.
671
00:48:26,904 --> 00:48:30,365
The municipal police
672
00:48:30,365 --> 00:48:33,827
was supposed to be in charge of security
at the horse race.
673
00:48:34,620 --> 00:48:37,748
So, the first ones interrogated
674
00:48:37,748 --> 00:48:40,375
were the municipality's police force.
675
00:48:40,375 --> 00:48:43,837
The thing is, we have
a long history here in Michoacán
676
00:48:44,963 --> 00:48:49,551
of cases of forced disappearances
committed by municipal police.
677
00:48:51,178 --> 00:48:54,556
{\an8}Michoacán's Minister of Public Security
678
00:48:54,556 --> 00:48:59,394
{\an8}reported that all members
of the municipal police in Ocampo
679
00:48:59,394 --> 00:49:02,105
{\an8}have been detained for an investigation
680
00:49:02,105 --> 00:49:04,149
{\an8}due to their alleged ties
681
00:49:04,149 --> 00:49:06,985
{\an8}with criminal organizations.
682
00:49:15,160 --> 00:49:18,705
Most of them said
they didn't cover the event.
683
00:49:18,705 --> 00:49:21,166
{\an8}The three or four officers
that did cover the event
684
00:49:21,166 --> 00:49:24,127
{\an8}declared that they left early.
685
00:49:24,127 --> 00:49:27,047
{\an8}POLICE ARE SUBPOENAED
686
00:49:27,047 --> 00:49:29,967
{\an8}STILL MISSING
687
00:49:29,967 --> 00:49:34,638
Usually, when criminal groups
execute a high-impact event like this,
688
00:49:34,638 --> 00:49:36,348
they make arrangements.
689
00:49:37,140 --> 00:49:39,935
They coordinate with local authorities.
690
00:49:41,311 --> 00:49:43,438
First, because the family will react.
691
00:49:43,438 --> 00:49:47,192
Second, to make sure
the kidnappers can take the victim
692
00:49:47,192 --> 00:49:49,528
with no police roadblocks.
693
00:49:51,446 --> 00:49:55,117
This allows between 30 and 45 minutes
694
00:49:55,117 --> 00:49:59,621
for the kidnappers
or the murderers to escape
695
00:49:59,621 --> 00:50:01,665
and avoid triggering security measures.
696
00:50:02,416 --> 00:50:05,335
JANUARY 29, 2020
16 DAYS SINCE HOMERO'S DISAPPEARANCE
697
00:50:05,335 --> 00:50:08,005
We were summoned to
the Regional District Attorney's Office.
698
00:50:08,005 --> 00:50:10,674
I was returning home, and suddenly,
699
00:50:11,216 --> 00:50:14,136
a forensics patrol car sped right by me.
700
00:50:16,805 --> 00:50:18,724
I grabbed my phone and turned it on.
701
00:50:19,433 --> 00:50:21,309
The first thing I saw
702
00:50:22,185 --> 00:50:23,687
was the news saying
703
00:50:24,688 --> 00:50:27,107
that a body was found
704
00:50:27,733 --> 00:50:30,736
close to the place
where my father had disappeared.
705
00:50:31,778 --> 00:50:36,033
On January 29, 2020, I received a call,
706
00:50:36,033 --> 00:50:37,159
during which
707
00:50:37,784 --> 00:50:41,329
I was asked to come to El Soldado,
708
00:50:42,998 --> 00:50:46,418
close to where Homero was last seen.
709
00:50:47,544 --> 00:50:51,965
They said they found a body,
presumably Homero's.
710
00:50:51,965 --> 00:50:53,383
I went alone.
711
00:50:53,383 --> 00:50:55,927
I didn't want to alarm my family.
712
00:51:01,016 --> 00:51:03,977
As it turned out, when I arrived,
713
00:51:03,977 --> 00:51:08,106
the police and investigators
were already there.
714
00:51:08,106 --> 00:51:10,650
Make way for the emergency services.
715
00:51:13,612 --> 00:51:16,073
They let me get a little closer
to the well.
716
00:51:16,073 --> 00:51:19,868
They called it a "pot of water."
It was deep, about six meters or more.
717
00:51:21,036 --> 00:51:24,164
{\an8}SEMEFO
FORENSIC SERVICES
718
00:51:24,164 --> 00:51:25,749
He was face down.
719
00:51:27,542 --> 00:51:30,462
They said we had to wait for the coroner
720
00:51:30,462 --> 00:51:32,631
in order for the body to be retrieved
721
00:51:32,631 --> 00:51:34,382
so I could identify it.
722
00:51:40,222 --> 00:51:42,057
I felt scared, anguished.
723
00:51:42,057 --> 00:51:45,393
I felt sadness, anger, rage,
so many emotions.
724
00:51:46,520 --> 00:51:49,439
That makes it feel
like your body is floating.
725
00:51:58,865 --> 00:52:01,952
I thought it might be him
because of his pants.
726
00:52:03,036 --> 00:52:05,205
I remembered
he was wearing pants like that.
727
00:52:05,205 --> 00:52:06,456
I said, "That's him."
728
00:52:06,456 --> 00:52:12,462
POLICE LINE - DO NOT CROSS
729
00:52:12,462 --> 00:52:15,674
They wouldn't let me get too close.
They asked me if it was him
730
00:52:16,591 --> 00:52:17,801
and then pulled me away.
731
00:52:20,053 --> 00:52:22,597
It feels like a strong blow.
732
00:52:22,597 --> 00:52:24,307
I didn't know how to react.
733
00:52:24,307 --> 00:52:27,727
And as I walked away,
my first thought was,
734
00:52:27,727 --> 00:52:30,147
"How am I going to tell my family?"
735
00:52:35,777 --> 00:52:38,029
Amado called me.
736
00:52:38,029 --> 00:52:41,366
- I asked, "Are you sure?"
- He said, "Yes."
737
00:52:42,200 --> 00:52:44,035
I hugged my mom very tight.
738
00:52:45,704 --> 00:52:47,247
And I said, "That's it."
739
00:52:54,838 --> 00:52:56,882
At that moment,
740
00:52:56,882 --> 00:52:58,175
she understood.
741
00:53:13,815 --> 00:53:16,234
When they told me
they had found him in the well,
742
00:53:18,195 --> 00:53:21,489
I just held the Bible in my arms
and said, "Thank You."
743
00:53:26,786 --> 00:53:29,873
Because I'd been told
744
00:53:30,624 --> 00:53:32,292
that many people are taken
745
00:53:32,292 --> 00:53:34,044
and you never see them again.
746
00:53:34,044 --> 00:53:36,421
Not even their bodies,
747
00:53:37,380 --> 00:53:39,799
neither dead nor alive.
748
00:53:41,968 --> 00:53:46,890
Back then I told God,
"Thank You for giving me a body to bury
749
00:53:46,890 --> 00:53:48,767
and a place to bring him flowers."
750
00:53:53,355 --> 00:53:56,107
HOMERO'S BODY IS FOUND
751
00:53:56,107 --> 00:53:59,152
I sent a reporter just for the day.
752
00:53:59,152 --> 00:54:01,696
He went with another group of reporters.
753
00:54:02,280 --> 00:54:04,491
He came back that same morning,
754
00:54:04,491 --> 00:54:09,704
{\an8}because we didn't have a way
to report on the case properly.
755
00:54:09,704 --> 00:54:11,331
{\an8}HOMERO'S BODY IS FOUND
756
00:54:11,331 --> 00:54:13,124
{\an8}HOMERO GÓMEZ IS FOUND DEAD
757
00:54:14,834 --> 00:54:19,381
Strange vans with armed men
were guarding the area.
758
00:54:21,216 --> 00:54:26,054
For us Michoacán journalists,
now more than ever,
759
00:54:26,054 --> 00:54:27,847
Michoacán is a zone of silence
760
00:54:28,473 --> 00:54:33,061
because organized crime
in that area retaliates
761
00:54:33,645 --> 00:54:35,939
immediately against our colleagues.
762
00:54:35,939 --> 00:54:38,024
They don't mess around.
763
00:54:40,193 --> 00:54:43,321
{\an8}After 16 days of searching,
Mexican authorities
764
00:54:43,321 --> 00:54:46,574
{\an8}found the body
of environmental activist Homero Gómez.
765
00:54:47,158 --> 00:54:50,245
{\an8}Environmental and human rights advocates
in Mexico
766
00:54:50,245 --> 00:54:52,247
{\an8}claim to be living in constant risk.
767
00:54:52,247 --> 00:54:56,251
Not only did our family lose a loved one,
768
00:54:56,251 --> 00:54:59,212
the whole world,
the monarch butterflies, and the forests
769
00:54:59,212 --> 00:55:01,339
lost a great protector.
770
00:55:01,339 --> 00:55:04,551
{\an8}Due to his activism, Homero Gómez
was receiving death threats.
771
00:55:04,551 --> 00:55:07,137
{\an8}He disappeared on January 13th.
772
00:55:14,227 --> 00:55:17,188
{\an8}In Michoacán, an alleged drowning
773
00:55:17,188 --> 00:55:22,277
{\an8}was the cause of death of the activist
and protector of the monarch butterfly.
774
00:55:22,277 --> 00:55:25,030
{\an8}According to Michoacán's Attorney General,
775
00:55:25,030 --> 00:55:28,825
{\an8}Homero Gómez's body was found
776
00:55:28,825 --> 00:55:32,412
{\an8}in a water well used for agriculture.
777
00:55:32,996 --> 00:55:38,168
So far, in the initial
external examination of the body
778
00:55:38,168 --> 00:55:41,504
{\an8}with a time of death
that goes back two to three weeks...
779
00:55:41,504 --> 00:55:42,964
{\an8}MICHOACÁN ATTORNEY GENERAL
780
00:55:42,964 --> 00:55:45,383
{\an8}...no external injuries were observed.
781
00:55:45,383 --> 00:55:49,346
{\an8}Facial and nail cyanosis are present,
782
00:55:49,346 --> 00:55:52,599
{\an8}characteristics typical
of asphyxiation from drowning.
783
00:55:53,099 --> 00:55:56,019
On behalf of the state's
Attorney General's Office...
784
00:55:56,019 --> 00:55:59,105
I was upset
by what the attorney general said.
785
00:55:59,898 --> 00:56:02,108
He said my dad's death was accidental
786
00:56:02,692 --> 00:56:04,652
and that he had drowned.
787
00:56:05,820 --> 00:56:06,988
So
788
00:56:08,615 --> 00:56:11,242
how do you explain that my dad
789
00:56:12,077 --> 00:56:13,453
had more lesions?
790
00:56:14,120 --> 00:56:16,748
According to the autopsy that was done,
791
00:56:16,748 --> 00:56:20,585
he'd actually suffered trauma
792
00:56:21,169 --> 00:56:22,128
to the head.
793
00:56:22,128 --> 00:56:26,424
We assume that the blow to the head
was caused when he fell.
794
00:56:27,550 --> 00:56:29,177
However, I can assure you
795
00:56:29,177 --> 00:56:31,930
that the cause of death
was not due to the blow.
796
00:56:33,390 --> 00:56:36,518
So far, there is no evidence
797
00:56:36,518 --> 00:56:38,269
indicating that his death
798
00:56:38,269 --> 00:56:40,939
was caused by an act of violence.
799
00:56:41,523 --> 00:56:44,984
So, the most solid hypothesis
you have so far
800
00:56:44,984 --> 00:56:48,238
is that Homero fell on January 13th
801
00:56:48,238 --> 00:56:51,699
and his body was floating around
until January the 29th?
802
00:56:52,450 --> 00:56:53,451
Yes.
803
00:56:56,663 --> 00:57:00,458
JANUARY 13, 14, 15
804
00:57:00,458 --> 00:57:04,587
JANUARY 16, 17, 18
805
00:57:04,587 --> 00:57:10,093
JANUARY 19, 20, 21, 22
806
00:57:10,093 --> 00:57:15,598
JANUARY 23, 24, 25, 26
807
00:57:15,598 --> 00:57:17,350
JANUARY 27, 28
808
00:57:17,350 --> 00:57:20,353
From a forensic perspective,
809
00:57:20,353 --> 00:57:23,314
you can tell if a person was murdered
810
00:57:23,314 --> 00:57:25,900
or if they died from a fall.
811
00:57:25,900 --> 00:57:27,902
{\an8}By that time, the body
812
00:57:27,902 --> 00:57:30,280
{\an8}should have shown signs of decomposition.
813
00:57:30,280 --> 00:57:31,364
{\an8}CORONER
814
00:57:31,364 --> 00:57:34,617
It would've had a monstrous appearance,
815
00:57:35,869 --> 00:57:39,706
bulging eyes, hair loss, skin detachment,
816
00:57:40,457 --> 00:57:41,916
practically unrecognizable.
817
00:57:43,251 --> 00:57:46,921
He didn't even look wrinkled
or disfigured.
818
00:57:46,921 --> 00:57:49,007
His hands looked slightly wrinkled,
819
00:57:49,007 --> 00:57:51,885
like when you submerge
your hands in cold water.
820
00:57:54,387 --> 00:57:58,516
I said they'd just thrown him there
because he looked intact.
821
00:57:59,601 --> 00:58:01,436
Even his clothes looked fine.
822
00:58:01,436 --> 00:58:03,813
They looked clean.
823
00:58:03,813 --> 00:58:06,107
They didn't even look messed up.
824
00:58:10,320 --> 00:58:14,240
It's a very cold place,
where temperatures at night
825
00:58:14,240 --> 00:58:19,078
can drop to below freezing,
especially in the winter.
826
00:58:19,078 --> 00:58:22,790
The body was starting to decompose,
but due to the climatic conditions,
827
00:58:22,790 --> 00:58:26,920
it was preserved,
and decomposition didn't occur.
828
00:58:29,380 --> 00:58:34,010
The prosecution's version
of how Homero's body was found,
829
00:58:34,010 --> 00:58:38,515
the Forensic Medical Service's report
on the cause of death,
830
00:58:38,515 --> 00:58:40,850
even mentioned bronchoaspiration.
831
00:58:40,850 --> 00:58:44,562
The attorney general dismissed the idea
that it could've been a homicide.
832
00:58:44,562 --> 00:58:47,190
It left us with a sense of frustration.
833
00:58:47,190 --> 00:58:49,651
How could the death of someone
834
00:58:49,651 --> 00:58:52,695
as important as him
be reduced to a four-minute briefing?
835
00:58:54,155 --> 00:58:57,534
We knew everything, how we'd found him,
836
00:58:57,534 --> 00:59:00,119
and nothing matched
what the attorney general said.
837
00:59:00,870 --> 00:59:04,999
A lot of us sustain the theory
it wasn't an accident.
838
00:59:04,999 --> 00:59:07,252
It wasn't an accident. It was a murder.
839
00:59:07,794 --> 00:59:11,756
The location where the body was found
contradicts any alternative version.
840
00:59:11,756 --> 00:59:17,136
We'd say, "They didn't look in the place
where Homero was last seen."
841
00:59:17,136 --> 00:59:21,891
This is the most relevant information
to be able to say,
842
00:59:22,684 --> 00:59:25,853
"How could Homero have been
in that location for 16 days,
843
00:59:25,853 --> 00:59:27,605
and they failed to search there?"
844
00:59:29,732 --> 00:59:32,777
{\an8}That well where he was found
845
00:59:33,653 --> 00:59:36,114
{\an8}his brother Juan and I had searched there.
846
00:59:36,698 --> 00:59:37,824
And there was nothing.
847
00:59:40,702 --> 00:59:47,000
If we consider
the geographic and weather conditions
848
00:59:47,000 --> 00:59:49,127
at the site where the body was found,
849
00:59:49,627 --> 00:59:53,298
it's suspicious to find a body
in that condition after 15 days.
850
00:59:53,298 --> 00:59:55,049
The corpse was still fresh.
851
00:59:55,049 --> 00:59:58,428
It couldn't have been preserved
for 15 days under those conditions.
852
00:59:59,262 --> 01:00:00,805
It's practically impossible.
853
01:00:00,805 --> 01:00:01,723
So
854
01:00:02,432 --> 01:00:06,561
everything indicates that he'd been
in the water a very short time.
855
01:00:06,561 --> 01:00:07,687
A very short time.
856
01:00:07,687 --> 01:00:09,314
That's why we think maybe
857
01:00:09,856 --> 01:00:14,986
someone held him captive somewhere.
858
01:00:14,986 --> 01:00:19,240
And when they felt all that pressure
from the government and the public,
859
01:00:19,240 --> 01:00:21,951
maybe they went and dumped him there
to mislead them.
860
01:00:26,789 --> 01:00:28,875
People told us that in the well
861
01:00:28,875 --> 01:00:32,795
where my father's body was found
early that morning,
862
01:00:32,795 --> 01:00:36,841
the well was surrounded by vehicles.
863
01:00:37,592 --> 01:00:39,677
That they'd come to unload things there.
864
01:00:41,429 --> 01:00:43,890
When people in the community
865
01:00:43,890 --> 01:00:47,477
told the family that Homero
was being held in El Soldado,
866
01:00:47,477 --> 01:00:49,520
it must've been
because the area's residents
867
01:00:49,520 --> 01:00:54,025
know that some safe houses
are in El Soldado.
868
01:00:54,025 --> 01:00:58,112
In other words, people are kidnapped,
taken away, and left there.
869
01:00:58,112 --> 01:01:02,075
And the community knows
when captured people go in and come out.
870
01:01:02,075 --> 01:01:04,911
Sometimes they're members
of rival cartels.
871
01:01:04,911 --> 01:01:08,081
Sometimes they're leaders,
as in the case of Homero.
872
01:01:08,081 --> 01:01:11,125
Sometimes they're people
kidnapped for a ransom.
873
01:01:11,125 --> 01:01:13,961
And everyone knows who they are,
874
01:01:13,961 --> 01:01:16,673
how many they are, where they're located.
875
01:01:16,673 --> 01:01:20,510
That's why people had information
about Homero's whereabouts,
876
01:01:20,510 --> 01:01:23,763
and the authorities weren't looking here
and searched elsewhere.
877
01:01:24,722 --> 01:01:26,224
But they knew full well.
878
01:01:27,684 --> 01:01:30,812
As a coroner, as a forensic doctor,
879
01:01:31,354 --> 01:01:33,523
as a scientist in this field,
880
01:01:34,315 --> 01:01:35,858
I see a poor investigation.
881
01:01:36,567 --> 01:01:40,822
The Attorney General's Office is reporting
882
01:01:40,822 --> 01:01:44,450
according to the data
that has been verified so far.
883
01:01:44,450 --> 01:01:45,451
Thank you.
884
01:01:46,744 --> 01:01:49,080
If it wasn't complicity
by direct involvement,
885
01:01:49,080 --> 01:01:51,165
it was complicity by omission.
886
01:01:51,165 --> 01:01:52,959
INTENTIONAL HOMICIDE
SPECIALIZED UNIT
887
01:01:52,959 --> 01:01:56,212
All signs point to it being deliberate.
888
01:01:56,713 --> 01:02:00,842
But to confirm that, an extensive
investigation is still needed.
889
01:02:00,842 --> 01:02:05,763
{\an8}This death-by-drowning case
is similar to other activist cases.
890
01:02:06,472 --> 01:02:08,516
{\an8}Abisai Pérez Romero was found dead
891
01:02:08,516 --> 01:02:10,893
{\an8}in the municipality of Tula de Allende
in Hidalgo.
892
01:02:10,893 --> 01:02:13,396
{\an8}He documented pollution in Tula.
893
01:02:13,396 --> 01:02:15,148
{\an8}According to the autopsy,
894
01:02:15,148 --> 01:02:17,275
{\an8}no signs of violence were seen.
895
01:02:17,275 --> 01:02:22,113
In Chiapas, environmentalist
and caretaker of a howler monkey reserve,
896
01:02:22,113 --> 01:02:23,322
José Luis Álvarez,
897
01:02:23,322 --> 01:02:25,908
{\an8}was found dead
by the Emiliano Zapata Highway,
898
01:02:25,908 --> 01:02:27,535
{\an8}near Calatrava.
899
01:02:27,535 --> 01:02:32,457
{\an8}Adán Vez Lira, environmental defender,
was murdered.
900
01:02:32,457 --> 01:02:35,376
{\an8}He had carried out significant work
to protect the ecosystems
901
01:02:35,376 --> 01:02:37,837
{\an8}in the central coast of Veracruz.
902
01:02:37,837 --> 01:02:40,256
{\an8}The Human Rights Commission
903
01:02:40,256 --> 01:02:42,675
{\an8}regrets the murder
of Margarito Díaz González,
904
01:02:42,675 --> 01:02:45,720
{\an8}environmental defender
and advocate for the sacred sites
905
01:02:45,720 --> 01:02:47,597
{\an8}of the Wixárica community.
906
01:02:47,597 --> 01:02:50,767
They murdered Samir Flores,
Nahuatl activist in Morelos
907
01:02:50,767 --> 01:02:52,977
against the thermoelectric plant
in Huexca.
908
01:02:52,977 --> 01:02:57,148
Samir didn't die!
The government killed him!
909
01:02:57,148 --> 01:03:00,651
{\an8}We are allowing environmental activists
910
01:03:00,651 --> 01:03:04,697
{\an8}to be murdered with impunity in Mexico.
911
01:03:05,239 --> 01:03:06,449
{\an8}The attorney general reported
912
01:03:06,449 --> 01:03:09,744
{\an8}that environmental activist Homero Gómez
was found dead.
913
01:03:09,744 --> 01:03:13,748
{\an8}Initial reports say
there are no signs of violence.
914
01:03:13,748 --> 01:03:17,668
{\an8}The attorney general is not excluding
the possibility that he drowned.
915
01:03:24,592 --> 01:03:26,385
They gave us his belongings.
916
01:03:26,385 --> 01:03:29,263
He had money
and his documents in his trousers.
917
01:03:29,889 --> 01:03:35,353
But when I asked the agent
handling the case for the car keys,
918
01:03:37,104 --> 01:03:38,689
he said he didn't have car keys.
919
01:03:38,689 --> 01:03:41,108
I asked,
"Why didn't you investigate this?"
920
01:03:41,108 --> 01:03:45,822
"They took his cellphones.
They probably also took the car keys."
921
01:03:45,822 --> 01:03:46,864
I was pissed off.
922
01:03:49,033 --> 01:03:53,830
Days went by, and they said,
"We finally found the car keys."
923
01:03:53,830 --> 01:03:55,748
"They were buried there all along."
924
01:03:56,874 --> 01:03:59,836
In the evidence picture,
the car keys are dry,
925
01:04:00,461 --> 01:04:03,840
supposedly dragged out by the machine
without dirt or stains.
926
01:04:04,465 --> 01:04:07,677
The keys were handed over
as they were found.
927
01:04:07,677 --> 01:04:13,099
They weren't tampered with,
because when collecting evidence,
928
01:04:13,099 --> 01:04:17,186
the forensic experts
do everything with gloves,
929
01:04:17,186 --> 01:04:20,690
following protocol
to prevent contamination.
930
01:04:24,861 --> 01:04:29,156
Then they asked me to take the car back
because they'd forgotten to take pictures.
931
01:04:29,156 --> 01:04:32,743
I had to take it back
for them to take pictures
932
01:04:32,743 --> 01:04:35,037
to have proof of how they found it.
933
01:04:35,621 --> 01:04:39,458
It made no sense, since I'd been
using the car for about a week
934
01:04:39,458 --> 01:04:42,962
to get around and continue the search.
935
01:04:42,962 --> 01:04:46,841
They took pictures of the car
as if it had just been found.
936
01:04:47,425 --> 01:04:50,219
And those are the photos
they have as evidence.
937
01:04:51,554 --> 01:04:58,519
We were in close contact with a source
we had at the Attorney General's Office.
938
01:04:59,103 --> 01:05:04,442
From the very beginning, we saw
a lot of manipulation in Homero's case
939
01:05:04,442 --> 01:05:07,612
because there were things
that were simply unbelievable.
940
01:05:07,612 --> 01:05:11,699
I wanted the public officials
that were with my dad to be investigated.
941
01:05:13,868 --> 01:05:18,039
They told us that someone
had his iPad and his phone.
942
01:05:18,748 --> 01:05:21,167
We said, "They have them, don't they?"
943
01:05:21,167 --> 01:05:24,086
The individual with his phone
944
01:05:24,086 --> 01:05:28,257
had the nerve to charge the battery
and answer a call.
945
01:05:28,257 --> 01:05:32,178
And as a result, the prosecution
found out where the phone was.
946
01:05:33,179 --> 01:05:38,017
At first, we suspected
this group of public officials.
947
01:05:38,643 --> 01:05:42,605
The young man with his belongings
was their close associate.
948
01:05:43,105 --> 01:05:49,320
He said my brother left his things behind,
949
01:05:49,320 --> 01:05:52,365
and he took them
so they wouldn't get lost.
950
01:05:52,365 --> 01:05:55,451
He said he didn't see my brother anymore,
so he took them home.
951
01:05:57,119 --> 01:05:59,497
My name is Elizabeth Guzmán Vilchis.
952
01:05:59,497 --> 01:06:01,791
I'm from Ocampo Municipality.
953
01:06:02,458 --> 01:06:04,418
I felt guilty and kept telling myself,
954
01:06:04,418 --> 01:06:08,631
"If you hadn't called him to invite him,
he wouldn't have gone,
955
01:06:08,631 --> 01:06:10,591
and none of this would've happened."
956
01:06:10,591 --> 01:06:13,469
But, at the end of the day,
you never know.
957
01:06:15,388 --> 01:06:18,307
Several politician colleagues were there.
958
01:06:18,307 --> 01:06:20,643
{\an8}One of them was Karina Alvarado.
959
01:06:20,643 --> 01:06:26,023
{\an8}Also, Octavio Ocampo Córdoba,
who was a deputy at the time.
960
01:06:26,023 --> 01:06:28,025
My name is Octavio Ocampo.
961
01:06:28,025 --> 01:06:32,238
{\an8}I knew him through public life.
962
01:06:32,238 --> 01:06:35,366
{\an8}Homero was also a politician,
963
01:06:35,366 --> 01:06:39,161
{\an8}in addition to being an environmentalist
and forest protector.
964
01:06:39,161 --> 01:06:43,040
Horse races are very popular.
965
01:06:43,040 --> 01:06:45,751
These are public events.
966
01:06:46,627 --> 01:06:51,549
We had the chance
to greet him at that event.
967
01:06:52,341 --> 01:06:54,927
All we did was shake hands.
968
01:06:54,927 --> 01:06:59,265
I probably left
at around six in the evening.
969
01:06:59,265 --> 01:07:00,766
It wasn't even dark yet.
970
01:07:01,976 --> 01:07:06,272
We said our goodbyes.
I went home, and he stayed there.
971
01:07:08,065 --> 01:07:12,111
Our encounter was so brief,
972
01:07:12,111 --> 01:07:15,156
I didn't even know
973
01:07:15,156 --> 01:07:17,992
someone had taken his belongings.
974
01:07:25,082 --> 01:07:27,877
We spent approximately
two hours with Homero,
975
01:07:27,877 --> 01:07:30,629
along with all the others I mentioned.
976
01:07:32,298 --> 01:07:35,509
First, Octavio Ocampo started singing.
977
01:07:35,509 --> 01:07:38,554
I can't remember which song.
978
01:07:38,554 --> 01:07:41,098
The rest of us danced.
979
01:07:41,098 --> 01:07:44,935
Then Homero and Octavio
started singing another song.
980
01:07:46,812 --> 01:07:49,482
In the photographs, you can see
981
01:07:49,482 --> 01:07:52,276
that he had his iPad and phone
with him the whole time.
982
01:07:52,860 --> 01:07:55,279
He didn't even leave
his devices behind to dance.
983
01:07:56,030 --> 01:08:00,659
My colleagues argued that he left
or forgot his devices at a drink stand.
984
01:08:01,368 --> 01:08:06,499
It's weird. If we're all together,
985
01:08:06,499 --> 01:08:09,210
and I see that you leave something behind,
986
01:08:09,210 --> 01:08:11,337
I'd give it to you right away, right?
987
01:08:11,337 --> 01:08:13,047
Why would I take it with me?
988
01:08:17,468 --> 01:08:19,553
Karina was the one who took them,
989
01:08:19,553 --> 01:08:21,972
and in turn,
she gave them to her photographer.
990
01:08:24,225 --> 01:08:26,185
We have some information about it,
991
01:08:26,852 --> 01:08:32,066
but not enough to open an investigation.
992
01:08:34,360 --> 01:08:36,654
About six months later,
993
01:08:36,654 --> 01:08:39,406
I ran into a colleague
at the Attorney General's Office.
994
01:08:39,406 --> 01:08:41,450
She'd been at the event.
995
01:08:41,450 --> 01:08:44,578
She said, "Guess what?
They killed Karina's photographer
996
01:08:44,578 --> 01:08:47,039
after all this happened."
997
01:08:48,082 --> 01:08:52,128
{\an8}KARINA ALVARADO'S ASSISTANT
998
01:08:56,257 --> 01:08:59,969
A commander
from the investigation unit told me,
999
01:08:59,969 --> 01:09:02,096
"Something's troubling us."
1000
01:09:02,096 --> 01:09:06,308
"Karina and Deputy Octavio filed
for a writ of protection. Why didn't you?"
1001
01:09:06,308 --> 01:09:08,978
"Why would I do that?
I didn't do anything wrong."
1002
01:09:08,978 --> 01:09:13,566
I'm a lawyer, and I saw no benefit
in filing for protection,
1003
01:09:13,566 --> 01:09:17,820
because after all,
I had no responsibility in this.
1004
01:09:21,240 --> 01:09:25,286
We know that the people
who were with Homero
1005
01:09:25,286 --> 01:09:29,039
obtained legal protection to avoid
being investigated or interrogated.
1006
01:09:29,039 --> 01:09:32,293
Could you tell us what happened?
1007
01:09:32,293 --> 01:09:33,878
That is their right.
1008
01:09:34,670 --> 01:09:39,508
And we respect the decisions
made by the authorities.
1009
01:09:41,844 --> 01:09:46,849
I've never filed for a writ of protection.
I've never had the need to do so.
1010
01:09:46,849 --> 01:09:48,684
This time, I didn't need to either.
1011
01:09:50,978 --> 01:09:53,898
I don't understand
why they filed for protection
1012
01:09:53,898 --> 01:09:56,066
if they had nothing to do with it,
1013
01:09:56,066 --> 01:09:58,277
unless they did have
something to do with it.
1014
01:09:58,277 --> 01:10:01,322
I can firmly say it's impossible.
1015
01:10:01,322 --> 01:10:06,660
This colleague who was there,
she's a wholesome woman.
1016
01:10:07,453 --> 01:10:09,079
She had nothing to do with this.
1017
01:10:09,622 --> 01:10:11,373
The other colleague who was there too,
1018
01:10:11,373 --> 01:10:15,419
I don't know if he was
a deputy or mayor at the time.
1019
01:10:15,419 --> 01:10:19,048
He's a wholesome young man,
with no ulterior motives.
1020
01:10:19,048 --> 01:10:21,425
Whether they were involved or not,
1021
01:10:21,425 --> 01:10:23,928
I mean, that would be...
1022
01:10:25,596 --> 01:10:26,972
I can't confirm that.
1023
01:10:26,972 --> 01:10:29,725
But I'm pretty convinced
1024
01:10:30,976 --> 01:10:32,895
there's nothing there.
1025
01:10:32,895 --> 01:10:35,105
When Silvano became governor,
1026
01:10:35,105 --> 01:10:37,441
Octavio Ocampo was a deputy.
1027
01:10:37,441 --> 01:10:42,780
Silvano, Octavio Ocampo,
and Karina Alvarado were always together.
1028
01:10:44,573 --> 01:10:46,992
Why did Karina's friend
have Homero's stuff?
1029
01:10:49,161 --> 01:10:53,082
Why did Karina and Octavio Ocampo
file for a writ of protection?
1030
01:10:53,082 --> 01:10:55,960
Up to this point, they're not suspects.
1031
01:10:58,295 --> 01:11:02,591
I just wanted them to give their testimony
of what had happened
1032
01:11:02,591 --> 01:11:05,552
because they were the last people
who were with him.
1033
01:11:05,552 --> 01:11:09,056
Not because I thought
or think they're guilty,
1034
01:11:09,056 --> 01:11:12,184
but because I believe
1035
01:11:12,184 --> 01:11:15,104
they might have information
that could lead to the arrest
1036
01:11:15,104 --> 01:11:17,773
of the people who actually did it.
1037
01:11:18,857 --> 01:11:24,154
Homero was a very important figure
who condemned illegal logging
1038
01:11:24,154 --> 01:11:27,491
as one of the main causes
of damage to the reserve,
1039
01:11:27,491 --> 01:11:29,660
home of the monarch butterfly.
1040
01:11:29,660 --> 01:11:34,039
The symbol was established
by the Free Trade Agreement at the time...
1041
01:11:34,039 --> 01:11:35,291
It was no accident.
1042
01:11:35,291 --> 01:11:38,085
Someone not only wanted to eliminate him,
1043
01:11:38,085 --> 01:11:42,464
{\an8}but also wanted to send a message
to any other social leader
1044
01:11:42,464 --> 01:11:46,593
{\an8}who dares to protect
the trees and the communities.
1045
01:11:46,593 --> 01:11:48,512
I heard that the attorney general
1046
01:11:48,512 --> 01:11:52,099
was going to investigate
my uncles Amado and Juan.
1047
01:11:52,099 --> 01:11:55,352
They said it was odd that they were
so concerned about the case,
1048
01:11:55,352 --> 01:11:59,189
that perhaps they were involved.
So they were going to investigate them.
1049
01:11:59,189 --> 01:12:03,193
Michoacán's Attorney General's Office
often engages in judicial harassment
1050
01:12:03,193 --> 01:12:06,238
against the relatives of a murdered victim
1051
01:12:06,238 --> 01:12:11,035
to deter, hinder, and prevent them
from asking uncomfortable questions.
1052
01:12:11,035 --> 01:12:12,828
This is not the first time
1053
01:12:12,828 --> 01:12:16,915
Michoacán's Attorney General
has resorted to this tactic
1054
01:12:16,915 --> 01:12:19,960
of turning the investigation
against the victims
1055
01:12:19,960 --> 01:12:22,379
in order to make them withdraw
1056
01:12:22,379 --> 01:12:25,424
and stop media coverage of the case,
1057
01:12:25,424 --> 01:12:29,970
and ultimately, stop any pressure
from being put on authorities.
1058
01:12:34,224 --> 01:12:38,103
I decided to stop pushing
for further investigation out of fear
1059
01:12:38,103 --> 01:12:41,148
because, as the investigations progress,
1060
01:12:41,148 --> 01:12:43,233
you don't know what you're getting into.
1061
01:12:43,233 --> 01:12:47,446
Your family is always exposed.
1062
01:12:47,446 --> 01:12:49,782
That's why, to a large extent,
1063
01:12:49,782 --> 01:12:53,118
we decided not to demand an investigation
for the sake of peace.
1064
01:13:01,627 --> 01:13:04,963
As you can see, there are eight volumes.
1065
01:13:10,511 --> 01:13:16,725
Well, you may see a pile of paper,
but the work we carried out is here.
1066
01:13:17,935 --> 01:13:20,229
And in these files,
1067
01:13:20,229 --> 01:13:21,563
there is nothing
1068
01:13:22,439 --> 01:13:25,150
to suggest that Homero,
1069
01:13:25,859 --> 01:13:28,070
up to this point,
1070
01:13:28,070 --> 01:13:31,240
died a violent death.
1071
01:13:32,866 --> 01:13:35,619
Up until now, all we have
1072
01:13:35,619 --> 01:13:39,248
is scientific evidence
that proves that Homero died
1073
01:13:39,248 --> 01:13:41,500
from mechanical asphyxiation
via submersion.
1074
01:13:42,251 --> 01:13:43,710
Meaning he drowned.
1075
01:13:51,385 --> 01:13:55,514
The authorities' version
not only doesn't make sense,
1076
01:13:55,514 --> 01:13:58,225
but is even dismissive,
1077
01:13:58,225 --> 01:14:00,144
to the point of being humiliating
1078
01:14:01,228 --> 01:14:03,397
to the intelligence of the media,
1079
01:14:03,397 --> 01:14:06,024
the readers, and Homero's memory itself.
1080
01:14:09,862 --> 01:14:13,282
They do this so regional DAs
don't issue arrest warrants
1081
01:14:13,282 --> 01:14:15,117
against illegal loggers,
1082
01:14:15,117 --> 01:14:18,620
and so that hitmen
and criminal leaders are released,
1083
01:14:18,620 --> 01:14:23,125
and to protect the state police
that participate in guarding convoys
1084
01:14:23,125 --> 01:14:25,252
of illegally harvested timber.
1085
01:14:25,252 --> 01:14:28,755
The authorities need to get involved.
1086
01:14:28,755 --> 01:14:32,342
And we are talking about
regional DAs and the state police.
1087
01:14:32,342 --> 01:14:35,804
And for this to happen,
there must be an understanding
1088
01:14:35,804 --> 01:14:37,639
with the heads of state government.
1089
01:14:38,474 --> 01:14:41,477
I have no evidence,
but I've no doubt in my mind
1090
01:14:41,477 --> 01:14:45,272
that Homero's murder was ordered
by members of organized crime
1091
01:14:45,272 --> 01:14:48,358
because he was attracting
the presence of federal authorities
1092
01:14:48,358 --> 01:14:50,027
and media attention
1093
01:14:50,027 --> 01:14:53,614
to an area where they wanted
to hide their illicit activities
1094
01:14:53,614 --> 01:14:55,991
under a veil of darkness.
1095
01:14:56,575 --> 01:14:59,411
Andrés, can you explain to us if you know
1096
01:14:59,411 --> 01:15:02,748
who these people
that are illegally logging are?
1097
01:15:06,543 --> 01:15:08,378
I can't answer that.
1098
01:15:09,171 --> 01:15:10,130
I just can't.
1099
01:15:10,839 --> 01:15:15,260
Do you think that if you answer,
you're putting your life at risk?
1100
01:15:16,762 --> 01:15:17,679
Yes.
1101
01:15:18,889 --> 01:15:21,350
My life and the lives of my colleagues.
1102
01:15:21,934 --> 01:15:24,520
The loggers, the avocado growers,
1103
01:15:24,520 --> 01:15:27,940
and the transportation businesses
are controlled by organized crime.
1104
01:15:27,940 --> 01:15:31,860
Locals must pay them
a share of their earnings
1105
01:15:31,860 --> 01:15:34,863
to be allowed to work.
1106
01:15:34,863 --> 01:15:37,908
If any of them fail to comply,
1107
01:15:37,908 --> 01:15:41,578
what they've been doing until now,
people get killed.
1108
01:15:42,454 --> 01:15:45,374
Not only within the state,
but also within the municipality.
1109
01:15:45,374 --> 01:15:48,877
Violence continues unabated in Mexico.
1110
01:15:48,877 --> 01:15:52,589
Omar Colina Lanis,
secretary of Ocampo, Michoacán,
1111
01:15:52,589 --> 01:15:54,883
{\an8}and his father were shot dead
1112
01:15:54,883 --> 01:15:56,760
{\an8}in the municipality of Zitácuaro.
1113
01:15:56,760 --> 01:16:00,305
{\an8}Their bodies were found inside a vehicle
with gunshot wounds.
1114
01:16:00,305 --> 01:16:01,807
{\an8}Michoacán's Attorney General
1115
01:16:01,807 --> 01:16:05,352
{\an8}is conducting
the investigations on the case.
1116
01:16:07,479 --> 01:16:10,691
Regarding the case
of the Biosphere Reserve
1117
01:16:10,691 --> 01:16:14,111
and the murder of Homero,
it was like a butterfly effect.
1118
01:16:16,697 --> 01:16:19,741
Take, for example, the Super Bowl.
A Super Bowl fan
1119
01:16:20,617 --> 01:16:23,161
buys a hot dog or a hamburger,
1120
01:16:23,161 --> 01:16:24,538
with avocado.
1121
01:16:29,751 --> 01:16:33,171
This avocado, to reach the United States,
1122
01:16:33,171 --> 01:16:39,261
had to pass through fake customs controls
ignored by the authorities.
1123
01:16:43,390 --> 01:16:45,392
This avocado was produced in Michoacán,
1124
01:16:45,392 --> 01:16:48,020
in areas controlled by organized crime,
1125
01:16:48,020 --> 01:16:50,355
which, before producing avocado,
1126
01:16:50,355 --> 01:16:53,900
had deforested an area
by illegally logging precious woods,
1127
01:16:53,900 --> 01:16:57,904
which in turn were defended by villagers.
1128
01:16:57,904 --> 01:17:00,157
In this case, like Homero.
1129
01:17:00,157 --> 01:17:03,452
We must break the chain at some point.
1130
01:17:04,036 --> 01:17:07,331
I don't know
if it's in the US or in Mexico,
1131
01:17:07,331 --> 01:17:10,167
or if it's with the intervention
of federal authorities.
1132
01:17:10,167 --> 01:17:12,210
Something is going wrong somewhere.
1133
01:17:12,210 --> 01:17:15,005
I think everything is going wrong
in Michoacán.
1134
01:17:15,005 --> 01:17:17,758
Or as an acquaintance of mine used to say,
1135
01:17:17,758 --> 01:17:20,927
"Everything that could go wrong
in Michoacán went even worse."
1136
01:17:22,638 --> 01:17:26,391
Michoacán loses almost 70,000 hectares
of forest every year.
1137
01:17:26,391 --> 01:17:29,561
A third of them are in this region
in eastern Michoacán.
1138
01:17:30,187 --> 01:17:33,649
And the truth is that it happens
right under our noses.
1139
01:17:48,246 --> 01:17:53,126
Forty years after one of the most
wonderful discoveries on the planet,
1140
01:17:53,126 --> 01:17:56,546
the monarch butterfly migration
is in danger.
1141
01:17:59,633 --> 01:18:01,968
The monarch butterfly population
1142
01:18:01,968 --> 01:18:05,722
has declined by between 22% and 72%
1143
01:18:05,722 --> 01:18:07,391
over the past decade.
1144
01:18:11,019 --> 01:18:13,939
Scientists blame climate change,
1145
01:18:13,939 --> 01:18:16,775
pesticides, and illegal logging.
1146
01:18:25,909 --> 01:18:30,914
It's a fact that the monarch butterfly
could disappear, never to come back.
1147
01:18:45,262 --> 01:18:46,805
We will continue our fight.
1148
01:18:46,805 --> 01:18:49,766
Our advantage
is that in order to get to the reserve,
1149
01:18:49,766 --> 01:18:51,768
they must drive through the village.
1150
01:18:51,768 --> 01:18:56,106
And in the village, we stand guard.
Even if they kill us all, we'll stop them.
1151
01:18:56,106 --> 01:18:58,734
We'll protect this place
with all our might.
1152
01:18:59,693 --> 01:19:01,987
Just as our comrade Homero
used to protect it,
1153
01:19:01,987 --> 01:19:06,450
we will continue his legacy.
1154
01:19:06,450 --> 01:19:08,410
For us as a family,
1155
01:19:09,077 --> 01:19:10,787
it wasn't an accident.
1156
01:19:10,787 --> 01:19:13,206
Where are we headed
1157
01:19:13,999 --> 01:19:16,752
if there's no authority
1158
01:19:17,377 --> 01:19:18,670
for these cases?
1159
01:19:31,808 --> 01:19:34,895
When we arrived with Homero,
the place was full of people,
1160
01:19:34,895 --> 01:19:38,356
friends, family,
members of various communities
1161
01:19:38,356 --> 01:19:39,566
waiting for him.
1162
01:19:44,488 --> 01:19:47,324
When I saw the hearse approaching,
1163
01:19:47,324 --> 01:19:49,451
I had this sensation I can't explain,
1164
01:19:49,451 --> 01:19:52,537
but my eyes filled with tears.
1165
01:19:52,537 --> 01:19:55,707
And I felt so sad knowing
my dad was in the hearse.
1166
01:20:06,343 --> 01:20:09,179
I meant to take him
in the same hearse we brought him in.
1167
01:20:10,388 --> 01:20:12,432
But the people didn't want that.
1168
01:20:13,725 --> 01:20:15,936
The people wanted to carry the coffin.
1169
01:20:22,901 --> 01:20:26,947
And people from everywhere
started to approach.
1170
01:20:26,947 --> 01:20:29,241
We all surrounded him.
1171
01:20:35,497 --> 01:20:37,165
And he was taken one last time
1172
01:20:37,165 --> 01:20:40,710
to the place where he was photographed
with his butterfly wings.
1173
01:20:40,710 --> 01:20:43,672
We can feel it! Homero is present!
1174
01:20:43,672 --> 01:20:47,300
Here, there, Homero will protect us!
1175
01:20:57,435 --> 01:20:58,562
I couldn't believe it.
1176
01:20:58,562 --> 01:21:02,232
In the same place where I had recently
taken a picture of him,
1177
01:21:02,232 --> 01:21:04,776
looking so happy with his arms wide open,
1178
01:21:04,776 --> 01:21:06,778
he was now in that same place,
1179
01:21:06,778 --> 01:21:09,739
which looked totally different.
1180
01:21:13,743 --> 01:21:15,287
He worked tirelessly
1181
01:21:15,287 --> 01:21:18,164
to preserve our forests.
1182
01:21:19,082 --> 01:21:21,877
We searched tirelessly for him.
1183
01:21:26,840 --> 01:21:29,384
We want his family to know
that they are not alone.
1184
01:21:29,384 --> 01:21:32,262
All his people are here.
1185
01:21:33,555 --> 01:21:35,015
We're all here.
1186
01:21:41,438 --> 01:21:42,939
Thank you all.
1187
01:22:01,917 --> 01:22:02,918
So sad.
1188
01:22:04,878 --> 01:22:08,757
I knew, from that moment,
how much we were going to miss him.
1189
01:22:12,552 --> 01:22:13,720
I even cried.
1190
01:23:00,058 --> 01:23:07,065
NOVEMBER 2, 2022
1191
01:23:23,665 --> 01:23:27,669
On the Day of the Dead,
we traditionally go to the cemetery
1192
01:23:27,669 --> 01:23:30,964
to place a wreath on the grave
1193
01:23:30,964 --> 01:23:35,010
and decorate the grave
with flowers and other things.
1194
01:23:39,723 --> 01:23:42,225
{\an8}HOMERO'S MOM
1195
01:23:54,404 --> 01:23:57,115
Unto the ages of ages, amen.
1196
01:23:57,115 --> 01:23:59,743
Mary, mother of grace and mother of mercy...
1197
01:23:59,743 --> 01:24:02,495
In life and death, pray for us.
1198
01:24:02,495 --> 01:24:04,414
Sacred Heart of Jesus...
1199
01:24:04,414 --> 01:24:05,415
In thee I trust.
1200
01:24:06,750 --> 01:24:09,085
Otomí and Mazahua beliefs
1201
01:24:09,085 --> 01:24:11,629
already referred to them
as the souls of the dead.
1202
01:24:12,172 --> 01:24:15,925
Homero later called them
"brides of the sun."
1203
01:24:31,066 --> 01:24:33,193
The butterflies are coming down for water.
1204
01:24:34,027 --> 01:24:38,073
Later, they'll be looking for flowers.
1205
01:24:39,657 --> 01:24:42,827
The travelers, the harvesters,
the brides of the sun...
1206
01:24:43,703 --> 01:24:45,163
The souls of the dead.
1207
01:24:47,791 --> 01:24:50,210
I believe my dad comes back
with the butterflies.
1208
01:24:50,210 --> 01:24:52,378
That's why I like to go to the sanctuary
1209
01:24:52,378 --> 01:24:55,131
and immerse myself
among the butterflies alone.
1210
01:25:03,765 --> 01:25:05,558
I feel as if he's there with me.
1211
01:25:06,267 --> 01:25:09,437
And together we're watching
all that scenery,
1212
01:25:09,437 --> 01:25:11,397
waiting for the sunlight to touch them
1213
01:25:11,397 --> 01:25:14,484
and see how all the butterflies
flutter around.
1214
01:25:24,577 --> 01:25:27,163
I start to recall all those moments
1215
01:25:27,163 --> 01:25:29,541
and talk to him
as if he were there with me
1216
01:25:29,541 --> 01:25:31,584
but recalling the past.
1217
01:25:32,502 --> 01:25:33,461
Oxygen.
1218
01:25:33,461 --> 01:25:35,547
- What do butterflies breathe?
- Oxygen.
1219
01:25:35,547 --> 01:25:39,050
Exactly. We need trees
for butterflies to be able to live.
1220
01:25:39,050 --> 01:25:41,136
Now, where do butterflies land?
1221
01:25:44,889 --> 01:25:48,893
At times, I laugh alone
1222
01:25:48,893 --> 01:25:51,604
because I feel like I'm talking to my dad.
1223
01:25:55,817 --> 01:25:58,611
Flying, flying high.
1224
01:25:59,362 --> 01:26:00,488
All day long.
1225
01:26:06,369 --> 01:26:08,788
I may not become
the new Guardian of the Monarchs,
1226
01:26:08,788 --> 01:26:11,499
but I do want to follow
in my father's footsteps.
1227
01:26:11,499 --> 01:26:14,085
It's what he taught me.
1228
01:26:14,085 --> 01:26:19,007
I wish to continue with all of this,
not to leave it at that.
1229
01:26:19,007 --> 01:26:22,343
To make his legacy live on
and grow even bigger.
1230
01:26:24,929 --> 01:26:27,140
I'm not afraid, because my dad always said
1231
01:26:27,140 --> 01:26:29,809
that whatever we do,
we must do it without fear.
1232
01:26:29,809 --> 01:26:32,103
I am determined to do this.
1233
01:26:52,207 --> 01:26:56,836
IN 2022, THE MIGRATORY MONARCH BUTTERFLY
WAS DECLARED ENDANGERED
1234
01:26:59,005 --> 01:27:02,383
THE INVESTIGATION OF HOMERO'S DEATH
REMAINS OPEN
1235
01:27:02,383 --> 01:27:04,969
BUT NO UPDATES HAVE BEEN REPORTED
1236
01:27:06,221 --> 01:27:07,096
Thank you.
1237
01:27:08,932 --> 01:27:11,643
Let's see what information
you cherry-pick.
1238
01:27:13,937 --> 01:27:19,651
KARINA ALVARADO
REFUSED TO GIVE AN INTERVIEW
1239
01:27:20,151 --> 01:27:23,404
Silvano made a promise,
but he never honored it.
1240
01:27:23,404 --> 01:27:25,949
None of them ever come around.
1241
01:27:25,949 --> 01:27:28,284
We make sure no one cuts down trees.
1242
01:27:28,284 --> 01:27:30,745
SILVANO AUREOLES IS UNDER INVESTIGATION
1243
01:27:30,745 --> 01:27:33,790
FOR ILLICIT GAIN, EMBEZZLEMENT,
AND ORGANIZED CRIME
1244
01:27:40,255 --> 01:27:42,924
IN 2022, AMADO GÓMEZ
WAS ELECTED OCAMPO'S MAYOR
1245
01:27:42,924 --> 01:27:46,511
AMADO IS PROTECTED BY GUARDS
DUE THE RISK OF ATTACKS AGAINST HIM
1246
01:27:53,309 --> 01:27:57,730
MEXICO IS ONE OF THE DEADLIEST COUNTRIES
IN THE WORLD FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS
1247
01:27:57,730 --> 01:27:59,899
MOST OF THEIR HOMICIDES GO UNPUNISHED