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A North Carolina teacher who vanished while traveling in Mexico in October was killed by a drug cartel member, his family and the local Mexican governor announced Thursday.
Patrick Braxton-Andrew, 34, who taught Spanish, was last seen in Urique on Oct. 28. His family announced Thursday on Facebook that Mexican officials had informed them that he was killed.
"Patrick died on October 28th at the hands of a criminal organization that operates in the area where he was traveling," the family posted on a Facebook page they launched when, two days after realizing he was missing, they traveled to Mexico in hopes of finding him.
Patrick Braxton-Andrew Patrick Braxton-Andrew via Instagram
Javier Corral, the governor of Chihuahua, the state where the small town of Urique is located, said on his Facebook page that he was committed to finding Braxton-Andrew's body and bringing justice to his killer. He said the specific drug dealer suspected is part of the Sinaloa cartel, which was led by Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, before his capture.
Braxton-Andrew was an avid traveler, who often went on international adventures alone, his father, Gary Andrew told NBC News on Monday.
"Patrick died doing what he loved—traveling and meeting people. Join us in celebrating his life as he would want us to do. We will always remember Patrick and his joy for life. We love you PBA," the family said in their statement Thursday.
ace9127 on November 19th, 2018 at 01:02 UTC »
My buddy’s parents bought a condo in Mexico to rent out, they rented it to a cartel member on accident and they never moved out. Apparently the cartel said if they want it come take it back, which their obviously not gonna do.
CanisLupusBaileyi on November 19th, 2018 at 01:00 UTC »
I’m from Chihuahua. I’ve lost friends and family in the Cartel Wars. This is most likely what happened. He either:
A) saw something he shouldn’t have
B) got together with some capo’s girl
C) messed with the wrong people (aka got into an argument with some sicarios)
D) was part of some deal
This is a terrible, and unfair loss. But being from Chihuahua and having family all over the state, it is rare to just be “casually killed” if you’re not related to someone powerful, work for them, fuck them over, or don’t complete a deal. It is unfortunate but I believe this attractive, young professor got together with a bad, bad girl. How fucking sad. Unfortunately, Chihuahua is huuuge and sometimes you never ever find people missing. Being the biggest state of Mexico while also being the least populated one makes crime easier to get away with 😞
johnsgurl on November 18th, 2018 at 23:34 UTC »
I'm just wondering how an American Spanish teacher managed to get the attention of a cartel member. Not blaming the victim. I don't care how, he didn't deserve to die for it. I'm just curious.