A Mother’s Grief: The Disappearance and Murder of Jeisson Quintanilla
On October 15, 2024 , María del Carmen Durand spoke to her son, Jeisson Quintanilla for the last time. Living in La Piedad, Michoacán, with his Mexican wife, Mariana García Galván , and their two daughters, Jeisson’s life seemed typical, yet this conversation marked the end of a chapter filled with dread. The following day, he vanished without a trace, leaving his mother desperate and alone in her quest for answers.
The silence was deafening. For weeks, María del Carmen tried to reach out, sending messages and calling, but responses from Jeisson or Mariana never came. Finally, resorting to a new Facebook account, she received a chilling ultimatum from her daughter-in-law: “If you want, come to look for your child’s body.” This phrase ignited a profound urgency in María del Carmen, propelling her from Peru to Mexico, where she reported the disappearance. Unfortunately, she found that local authorities provided little to no help in her search.
Faced with inaction from law enforcement, María del Carmen took matters into her own hands, turning to social media. Just days into her investigation, she received a shocking message from someone claiming to be part of the criminal world in Michoacán. The individual sent over 40 pieces of evidence including audios, screenshots, and a photograph. The alleged hitman specified that Jeisson had been murdered under the orders of someone they referred to as “La Güera,” widely recognized as Mariana. This revelation sent chills through María del Carmen.
Jeisson, just 28 years old, had moved to Mexico after meeting Mariana online, where she offered esoteric rituals and readings. Initially, their relationship thrived; Jeisson even worked as a driver and used funds from his mother to buy cars for rental. However, in mid-2024, alarm bells began to ring when Jeisson confided in María del Carmen that he felt increasingly threatened. He revealed chilling details about Mariana’s behavior— insults, surveillance , and his fear for his life. One desperate phone call revealed Mariana had attempted to stab him, with Jeisson exclaiming: “Mom, this woman is going to kill me.”
In a chilling encounter when María del Carmen traveled to assist him, Mariana threatened Jeisson directly, saying, “Your son is going to die. Holy Death has told me.” This foreboding warning drove María del Carmen back to Peru, but Jeisson, wishing to protect his daughters, chose to remain. Just a day after the birthday of his eldest daughter, he fell silent, and Mariana swiftly blocked María del Carmen on all platforms. Again, María del Carmen reached out through another profile, prompting a chilling response from Mariana: “Jeisson disappeared a month ago. Don’t bother me; you will also be killed.”
Determined, María del Carmen flew back to Michoacán and filed a formal complaint regarding her son’s disappearance. But local authorities allegedly dismissed her claims and downplayed the situation. In a twist of fate, she gained unexpected information from a man named “Tocho,” a member of a local gang, claiming a “mistake” had occurred: they had wrongly killed a different person, but Jeisson was indeed dead.
As the horrifying messages continued, María del Carmen received a horrific photograph depicting a body bearing signs of torture. “She is my son, based on her clothes and her socks,” she stated. Accompanying the photos were audios in which the alleged murderer expressed remorse for killing an innocent man. Allegedly, Mariana accused Jeisson of having harmful intentions toward his youngest daughter, a claim that had no prior evidence or complaints backing it.
As she compiled the evidence— images, audios, screenshots— María del Carmen brought everything to the Mexican Prosecutor’s Office. To her dismay, the case did not progress. The prosecutor claimed there were no existing security cameras in Jeisson’s residence, yet María del Carmen discovered videos contradicting this narrative. Shockingly, Mariana moved on with a new partner in the very house Jeisson had bought for his family.
Now, María del Carmen continues her fight in Mexico. While she has received threats regarding her search for the truth, she remains determined to unearth the fate of her son’s remains, whom she was told had been “buried in an asylum,” a potential euphemism for a hidden grave.
Moreover, she is fervently fighting for custody of her granddaughters, fearing for their safety under Mariana’s care. As time passes, her nightmare continues, embodying a mother’s unwavering resilience amidst profound uncertainty and the looming shadows of injustice.