Mexico Mexico - Chris Leguisano 51, from IA USA, delvered a truck to ex-bil in Mex, notified fam she arr, bil not cooperating, Tamaulipas, 8 Aug 2024

[Unalienable Rights]

CHRIS LEGUISANO | Missing Person Information Clearinghouse

missingpersons.iowa.gov

08/08/2024

135 lbs.

5'3"

White

Brown

Brown

Female

[th width="86.7255%"]
Age Now:
51

CHRIS LEGUISANO WAS REPORTED MISSING TO THE DES MOINES PD, DES MOINES ON August 8, 2024.
*******

Des Moines resident reported missing in Mexico

Chris Leguisano has been missing since Friday, Aug. 9 according to family members.

www.weareiowa.com

August 26, 2024
The FBI San Antonio Division is investigating after a Des Moines woman was reported missing in Mexico.

51-year-old Chris Leguisano was reported missing by her family on Aug. 10. Her family says her last known location was Reynosa, Tamaulipas, just south of the U.S.-Mexico border.

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From the article:

On Aug 8, 2024 Chris Leguisano drove from her home in Des Moines, IA to San Antonio, TX, where she spent the night at her son's home.

The next day she traveled to Mexico to take a truck to her ex-brother-in-law. Her plan was to rent a car after she dropped off the truck, and to drive the car back to San Antonio and get a flight to Des Moines.

She was said to be "distressed" and "impatient to get to the border and get out of the area."

On August 10, her son reported her missing to the FBI in McAllen, TX. FBI is working with Mexican authorities.

The son has received messages asking for money in exchange for information.

 

[Unalienable Rights]

Family of Des Moines woman missing in Mexico still searching for answers

Chris Leguisano, 51, has not been heard from since Aug. 9. She went missing after traveling to the Mexican border to deliver a truck to a family member.

www.kcci.com

January 24, 2025

The 51-year-old mother of four left Des Moines on Aug. 8 with another family member to deliver a truck full of belongings to her brother-in-law in Mexico. Her family says she checked in with them to say she made it to Mexico, but they haven't heard from her since.

They say the last person to see her was her brother-in-law and he is not giving them answers. And they've received very little information from the FBI, which is investigating Leguisano's disappearance.

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Sen. Chuck Grassley's office told KCCI the FBI investigation is still open. In September, Sens. Grassley and Joni Ernst sent a letter to the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, requesting an update on the embassy’s efforts to locate Leguisano.

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[GraceG]

Was the brother in law previously living in Iowa, then moved back to Mexico? Why wouldn't he drive his own truck with his belongings? Needed to fly due to time schedule? Wanted to stay off the radar while traveling? Why was she "distressed" as the trip commenced? So many red flags here. As to the kidnapping, unfortunately a LOT of times when someone goes missing in Mexico and the word is out, people try and scam the family out of dollars for "ransom" when the person in question isn't in their custody at all. An article from the FBI website on "virtual" kidnappings. https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/virtual-kidnapping

 

[truthfinder2019]

I wonder why they seem so sure she was kidnapped

Iowa woman missing in Mexico for weeks, family fears she was kidnapped in border town

An Iowa woman who traveled to a Mexican border town to help family has been missing for a month, and her son believes she was kidnapped. In an exclusive intervi

cbs2iowa.com

Her FB profile

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www.facebook.com

 

[GraceG]

I wonder why they seem so sure she was kidnapped

Iowa woman missing in Mexico for weeks, family fears she was kidnapped in border town

An Iowa woman who traveled to a Mexican border town to help family has been missing for a month, and her son believes she was kidnapped. In an exclusive intervi

cbs2iowa.com

Her FB profile

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

www.facebook.com

According to the article in the opening post, her son had received messages asking for money for information. I'm guessing they assumed that meant kidnapping. Iowa now charges $25 a month to view court records so I couldn't do any checking there to see if there were any recent financial issues/court transactions in the judiciary system.

 

[truthfinder2019]

Indeed, but to me it is not clear whether the ransom was requested before or after the son went out to social media looking for help to find her.
There are a lot of articles in spanish, in this one I found this information (I translated)

Chris' son was the one who shared on his social networks the case of his mother's disappearance last Friday, August 9 at 11:00 when crossing the Hidalgo international bridge.

Autoridades de Tamaulipas buscan a mujer de origen estadounidense desaparecida en Reynosa

El vocero de seguridad de Tamaulipas emitió un comunicado en el que dio a conocer que hay una carpeta de investigación por la desaparición de la mujer

www.infobae.com

Therefore, it could have been scammers. But the family, at least how it is reported in MSN, seems to privilege that outcome.
I would not be so sure, based on the available information.

According to the Search Bulletin issued by the Attorney General's Office of Tamaulipas (FGJT), there has been no news of Leguizamo since August 9, so it is presumed that she could be the victim of a crime.

Buscan a norteamericana desaparecida en frontera de Tamaulipas - El Sol de Tampico | Noticias Locales, Policiacas, sobre México, Tamaulipas y el Mundo

El gobierno tamaulipeco confirmó la búsqueda a través de la Vocería de Seguridad y Protección Civil

oem.com.mx

 

[GraceG]

Indeed, but to me it is not clear whether the ransom was requested before or after the son went out to social media looking for help to find her.
There are a lot of articles in spanish, in this one I found this information (I translated)

Chris' son was the one who shared on his social networks the case of his mother's disappearance last Friday, August 9 at 11:00 when crossing the Hidalgo international bridge.

Autoridades de Tamaulipas buscan a mujer de origen estadounidense desaparecida en Reynosa

El vocero de seguridad de Tamaulipas emitió un comunicado en el que dio a conocer que hay una carpeta de investigación por la desaparición de la mujer

www.infobae.com

Therefore, it could have been scammers. But the family, at least how it is reported in MSN, seems to privilege that outcome.
I would not be so sure, based on the available information.

According to the Search Bulletin issued by the Attorney General's Office of Tamaulipas (FGJT), there has been no news of Leguizamo since August 9, so it is presumed that she could be the victim of a crime.

Buscan a norteamericana desaparecida en frontera de Tamaulipas - El Sol de Tampico | Noticias Locales, Policiacas, sobre México, Tamaulipas y el Mundo

El gobierno tamaulipeco confirmó la búsqueda a través de la Vocería de Seguridad y Protección Civil

oem.com.mx

If kidnapping is "on the table" the family is morely likely to anticipate some federal involvement. I remember this case (which ended with the young woman safe) as an example. But that young woman (in a completely different part of Mexico, so NOT related in any way to this case), was definatley a kidnapping as she was witnessed being forced into a van. FBI offers $40,000 reward for American who went missing while walking her dog in Mexico

 

[GraceG]

This is no surprise to those of us who receive or watch the travel cautions for Mexico - But this was in today's news feed. US consulate warns of gun battles, IEDs, kidnappings in Mexican border towns near Texas

Original State Department warning for Tamaulipas and other areas from September 4, 2024. Mexico Travel Advisory

 

[truthfinder2019]

No updates

'I still have hope she is alive': Family of Des Moines woman missing in Mexico still searching for answers

By KCCI Staff Click here for updates on this story DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — Chris Leguisano was not there to celebrate Christmas or several milestones for her children and grandchildren for the last five and a half months. Despite her absence, her family holds out hope that Leguisano is...

ktvz.com

 

[truthfinder2019]

• August 8, 2024: Chris departed from Des Moines with a family member, intending to deliver a pickup truck filled with belongings to her brother-in-law in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico.
  
  kcci.com
  
  
• August 9, 2024: Chris sent a text message to her family, confirming her safe arrival in Mexico.
  
  the-sun.com
  
  
• August 10, 2024: Chris was reported missing by her family to the Des Moines Police Department.
  
  missingpersons.iowa.gov
  
  
• August 14, 2024: The family received a ransom message, including a photo resembling Chris, though its authenticity couldn't be confirmed.
  
  the-sun.com
  
  
• September 2024: U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst wrote to the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, seeking updates on efforts to locate Chris and address her kidnapping.
  
  desmoinesregister.com
  
  
• January 27, 2025: Nearly six months after her disappearance, Chris's family expressed ongoing hope for her safe return, despite limited information from authorities.
  
  ktvz.com
  

As of March 2025, Chris's whereabouts remain unknown.

 

[truthfinder2019]

Still missing

Family of Des Moines woman missing in Mexico still searching for answers

Chris Leguisano, 51, has not been heard from since Aug. 9. She went missing after traveling to the Mexican border to deliver a truck to a family member.

www.kcci.com

 

[Unalienable Rights]

An Iowa woman disappeared in Mexico 7 months ago. Her family wants answers.

Every day and night, Stephanie Quintana-Leguisano reads the letter her mother gave her before she disappeared Aug. 9 in Mexico.

www.usatoday.com

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Friends, family and church members lined outside the door of St. Joseph’s Church last week to pray for the Des Moines woman in hopes of her return. People who gathered for the prayer service went down the aisle to light candles that were placed in front of an altar and photo of Leguisano and greeted her children.

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Leguisano’s family says their mother had been driving from Des Moines to Mexico with a truck full of belongings with her ex-brother-in-law, who has not been cooperating with the authorities' investigation. And the case was reassigned to a new FBI agent because the original agent investigating her case retired, Quintana-Leguisano said.

The family has now had to begin the process all over again and answer questions they’ve already answered, she said.

“I would say I’m frustrated with the process because we still don’t have answers,” she said. “For them to be interviewing us again, back from square one, like it happened yesterday.”

*****

More at link.

 

[truthfinder2019]

• Leguisano's family and Iowa senators believe she was kidnapped, and the case is being investigated by both the FBI and Mexican authorities.
• The family is frustrated with the slow progress of the investigation and are desperate for answers.

Still no answers for family of Des Moines woman kidnapped in Mexico for 7 months

Every day and night, Stephanie Quintana-Leguisano reads the letter her mother gave her before she disappeared Aug. 9 in Mexico.

eu.desmoinesregister.com

 

[truthfinder2019]

Bumping for Chris, still missing

Prayer service to be held for Iowa woman missing in Mexico

Chris Leguisano has been missing since last summer. Her family believes she's being held against her will by the cartel in Mexico.

www.kcci.com

 

[GraceG]

I don't think this one is going to have a good resolution. That is a particularly dangerous part of Mexico, and well known to be so, whether you are a citizen of Mexicon or not. Technical Difficulties

I certainly would never ask a female relative to travel through/to such an area but perhaps living there you get a different perspective on the safety of the area. As to the "ransom" I'd be curious if it was made AFTER the news of her being missing went public (possible scammer) or if indeed it was something concrete the feds could work with. If so I hope they do not give up on her.