Relatives demand answers in one of Sinaloa’s most disputed cases.
CULIACÁN, MEXICO — July 2026. Héctor Melesio Cuén Díaz has accused Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office of failing to inform his family about progress in the investigation into his father’s murder. Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda, former rector of the Autonomous University of Sinaloa and founder of the Sinaloan Party, was killed on July 25, 2024. Nearly two years later, no alleged perpetrator has been publicly prosecuted.
Cuén Díaz said the family has repeatedly requested information directly from federal prosecutors in Mexico City without receiving a substantive response. He stressed that relatives have respected institutional procedures and investigative timelines. However, he called on authorities to provide prompt communication and clarify whether the case has produced concrete advances.
The murder occurred on the same day that Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was forcibly taken to the United States. Zambada later claimed that Cuén was killed at the Culiacán property where he himself was abducted, after being summoned to a meeting allegedly organized by Joaquín Guzmán López. Federal forensic findings subsequently contradicted the Sinaloa state prosecutor’s original account that Cuén had been shot during an attempted vehicle robbery.
The Attorney General’s Office stated in May that the investigation remained active and had neither been suspended nor archived. Federal authorities previously reported substantial progress and linked Joaquín Guzmán López to the events surrounding Zambada’s abduction and Cuén’s death. Nevertheless, investigators have released few meaningful updates since October 2024.
The case remains marked by contradictory testimonies, mishandled evidence and unanswered questions about the crime scene. For Cuén’s family, the absence of communication has become another form of uncertainty surrounding an unresolved political assassination.
Nearly two years after the murder, institutional silence continues to deepen the demand for justice.