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Three Tijuana Teens Missing After Alleged Job Interview Lure

The case highlights a growing tactic that targets minors with unreal pay and simple roles.

Overview

  • Edgar Jovany Pelayo Cisneros, 16, Brian Samuel Jiménez, 16, and Jeremy Alexander Robinson Cañedo, 15, vanished after a supposed interview in Tijuana on April 20.
  • Investigators say the last phone location for the three was in Sánchez Taboada, a Tijuana neighborhood flagged for high crime and activity by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
  • Families filed reports with the Baja California state prosecutor, the state search commission issued living-person search fiches, and authorities plan to interview two peers who answered the same ad but did not go.
  • Advocate Paula Sandoval says forced recruitment of minors in Baja California has risen since 2024 as criminals exploit lighter penalties for youths.
  • Recruiters often promise up to 5,000 pesos a week, daily pay, a car, or easy driver and errand jobs, and cyber police warn of red flags like upfront fees, very high pay, posts only on personal social pages, and generic email addresses.