Authorities in Huejotzingo, Puebla, arrested a man identified as Andrés N. on Tuesday, October 20, for his alleged role in the killing of his partner, María Isabel Castillo Villegas, and the attempted killing of her two daughters, aged eight and thirteen. The detention followed an investigation showing that a car plunging into a ravine in Zacapoaxtla was not a mishap.
- Key Point: The arrest warrant was served near Segovia Sur street; the suspect was turned over to a control judge for a hearing.
- Key Point: Castillo Villegas was found dead in the front passenger seat; her daughters survived and received medical care at an IMSS facility.
- Key Point: Investigators found a large stone resting on the accelerator pedal, supporting the theory that the crash was staged.
- Key Point: Official figures list nine femicides in Puebla from January to September 2026, but an academic observatory records 44 probable cases.
How a homicide was masked as a traffic accident
The incident happened on September 26, 2026, when a red Chevrolet Optra with Puebla plates fell into a ravine close to the Instituto Tecnológico Superior in Zacapoaxtla. The car sustained frontal damage and ended up off the road. The body of María Isabel Castillo Villegas, who resided in the Real Segovia subdivision of Huejotzingo, was located in the passenger seat. Her daughters, aged eight and thirteen, were taken to the IMSS clinic in Zacapoaxtla for treatment.
Autopsy findings indicated the woman had died from mechanical asphyxia caused by strangulation before the vehicle went over the edge. That prompted authorities to investigate the case under femicide protocols. During the examination of the car, forensic experts discovered a sizable stone placed on the accelerator pedal. This piece of evidence was included to determine whether the fall had been deliberately caused to imitate a road incident.
Detention and criminal charges
According to the state prosecutor's office, Andrés N. allegedly ended his partner's life and then drove the minors in the Chevrolet Optra to Zacapoaxtla. The car ultimately went into the ravine with the woman's body and the two children inside. The suspect faces counts of femicide and attempted femicide against the minors.
The warrant was executed near Segovia Sur street in Huejotzingo. He was placed before a control judge, who was expected to decide his legal situation in a hearing. Officials emphasized that Andrés N. must be presumed innocent until a court issues a conviction.
Widely differing femicide statistics
Between January and September 2026, two separate tallies exist for femicides in Puebla. The state attorney general's office counted nine cases and, along with the state government, said this represented a drop of between 47% and 58% compared with the same stretch of 2025. The National Public Security System's executive secretariat reported seven femicides from January through August 2026, aligning with the local prosecutor's data.
In contrast, the Observatory for Social and Gender Violence at Ibero Puebla documented 44 probable femicides in the same January-to-September period, pointing to possible underreporting by authorities. Independent press counts and civil organizations have tallied at least 47 women killed by femicidal violence in the state during 2026 so far.
The gap between official numbers and independent tallies highlights the difficulty of measuring gender-based killings when some cases may be misclassified as accidents. The arrest of Andrés N. shows why each suspicious vehicle crash deserves scrutiny, and it raises renewed questions about whether enough resources are devoted to uncovering concealed femicides in Puebla. If the stone on the accelerator and the strangulation evidence had not been examined thoroughly, the deaths could have remained recorded as a simple traffic accident. That possibility underscores the importance of applying femicide protocols from the earliest stages of any fatal incident involving a woman.