Missing medical school graduate, 29, from Arkansas is found safe in Mexico as friend was found dead from gunshot wounds after they left a nightclub last Saturday
- Arkansas man Jesse Pacheco, 29, has been found safe and has returned to the U.S. after going missing from a nightclub in Guadalajara on the night of June 15
- The body of his friend, Carlos Alejandro Delgadillo Romero, was found in a nearby street after he was shot with an AK-47-style rifle
- Mexican authorities feared that Pacheco might have been kidnapped
- Jalisco’s governor confirmed that Pacheco was safe and has returned to the U.S.
A medical school graduate From Arkansas who went missing in Mexico last Saturday night is safe and has returned to the U.S.
Jesse Pacheco, 29, completed his studies at Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara’s medical school last weekend and was due to return home this week.
However he disappeared after leaving a nightclub in the Providencia neighborhood after midnight last Saturday.
Arkansas man Jesse Pacheco, 29, (pictured), has been found safe and has returned to the U.S. after going missing from a nightclub in Guadalajara on the night of June 15
Carlos Alejandro Delgadillo Romero, another medical student who was with him, was found dead in a nearby street and had been shot with an AK-47-style rifle, according to news reports.
Mexican authorities feared that Pacheco might have been kidnapped prior to being located.
However Enrique Alfaro, the state of Jalisco’s governor, said in Spanish on Friday that Pacheco had been found safe and was returning to the United States.
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He tweeted: 'It is also important to say that Jessy Pacheco, the American student reported missing, is safe and sound.
'He left for the city of Dallas a few hours ago, accompanied by his mother.'
Pacheco's brother, Carlos Robles Franco, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: 'Yes sir! Glory to God. He's alive.'
Witnesses said a group travelling in a red car had assaulted Delgadillo, shot him and then drove away, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Authorities discovered a black cellphone, one tennis shoe, two cigarette butts and five shell casings, according to local news reports.
Pacheco's friend, medical student Carlos Alejandro Delgadillo Romero, (left), was found dead in a street near a nightclub where they had been celebrating and was shot with an AK-47-style rifle
Jesse Pacheco, 29, from Fort Smith, had wanted to become a doctor for many years
Police in Mexico said there was no known motive for the attack against the friends, who are both American citizens.
There have been no arrests in Romero’s death or Pacheco’s alleged kidnapping.
However investigators interviewed at least nine witnesses and gathered the names of over 100 people who work in the area, said Gerardo Octavio Solís Gómez, the state prosecutor of Jalisco.
Witnesses said a group travelling in a red car had assaulted Delgadillo, (pictured), shot him and then drove away
Romero 'was taken by a group that beat him and shot him with a pistol, which killed him,' Gomez is reported as saying by NBC News.
'The businesses nearby evacuated all their clients and closed down, to not get involved with this incident.'
Workers at a nearby convenience reportedly told police that Delgadillo had bought cigarettes shortly before his death.
As he waited for an Uber that was due to arrive shortly, the occupants of a red car shot him and then fled the scene, witnesses said.
During the week Pacheco's brother said the family remained hopeful and were praying that he was safe.
He claimed: 'We haven't given up hope of finding him alive, and we ask God for mercy and a miracle. We miss him so much.'
Romero was also studying with Pacheco at Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara’s medical school. NBC reported that his aunt identified his body after it was sent home to the family.
The U.S. State Department confirmed Romero's death, adding: 'Out of respect for the privacy of the family, we have no further comment at this time.'
