Apolonio Pérez Tapia and John Jairo Guzman Vázquez
By H. Nelson Goodson
October 5, 2013
Mexico City, Mexico - Mexican authorities say, a key police investigator in charged of a kidnapping investigation in Mexico City turned out to be one of the kidnappers involved. Apolonio Pérez Tapia, 41, the chief investigator for the Mexico City Police Internal Affairs allegedly lied and is accused participating in the September 20 kidnapping of John Jairo Guzman Vázquez, 44, a Colombian national from Cali.
Guzman Vázquez arrived in Guadalajara, Jalisco in April 2013 to work as a security specialist under a private contract. His kidnapping was caught by video cameras and a second video has surfaced adding to the investigation.
Guzman Vázquez hadn't been heard off, since he was kidnapped at the Navarte neighborhood. He is presumed to have been tortured and killed.
Tapia even falsely accused two other motorcycle police officers of the kidnapping and even had a witness who later recanted and confessed that Tapia made him lie. It was later discovered that Tapia actually knew the victim, was driving the vehicle on the day the victim was dragged out of vehicle, beaten and placed in another vehicle.
Tapia was attempting to cover up his involvement, but GPS records of his police radio indicated that he was at the scene when Guzman Vázquez was taken against his will. Tapia was arrested in connection with the kidnapping and lying.
The Secretary of Public Safety and Security for Mexico City reported that at least ten people were involved ppl in Guzman Vázquez's kidnapping. Three other motorcycle officers are being sought in connection with the September kidnapping. The officers were identified as Victor Manuel Benítez Graduño, Ulises Avelino Hernández García and David Ortega Cortéz. Also Bernardo Barbosa, a taxi driver is being sought in the kidnapping case.
