Overview

• María de Jesús was evicted from her home in Tehuacán in mid-2022 and lived on a CAPU bench for over three years, relying on donations from travelers and vendors.
• Paramedics from the Red Cross confirmed she died of natural causes on the night of July 24 at the same spot where she had long awaited her children.
• The Fiscalía General del Estado de Puebla and the Servicio Médico Forense processed her body, which remains unclaimed by any relatives.
• In 2024 the Sistema Estatal DIF de Puebla issued a public appeal to locate her three children—Víctor Manuel, Marina Guadalupe and Alma Rivas Mundo—believed to be in the United States.
• Her death has highlighted gaps in elder care, deficiencies in social safety nets and the human toll of family separation in Mexico.