After 10 years, suspected transfeminid Paola Buenrostro is arrested; detention is a decisive step to advance the case in courts, says prosecutor

After nearly a decade of investigation, authorities have arrested Arturo "N," the alleged perpetrator of the transgender woman Paola Buenrostro's murder, marking a critical step forward in the legal proceedings surrounding the case, according to prosecutors. The arrest took place on August 31 in the neighborhood of El Tráfico within the municipality of Nicolás Romero, State of Mexico. Arturo "N" had been under an active warrant since October 2016 for his suspected involvement in the killing of Paola Buenrostro, which occurred in September 2016. The Federal Attorney’s Office of the City of Mexico (FGJ CDMX) confirmed the arrest, stating that investigators from the Police Investigation Agency (PDI) pursued multiple lines of inquiry over the years to locate him. On the morning of September 30, 2016, Paola boarded Arturo "N"'s vehicle after he hired her services. According to the investigation, shortly afterward, Paola called for help from her companions, and two gunshots were heard. Her companions approached the car and found Paola unconscious in the passenger seat while Arturo "N" allegedly held a firearm. Paola died from gunshot wounds. Since the incident, authorities investigated Arturo "N"'s potential role and obtained an arrest warrant against him on October 19, 2016. However, he remained at large for almost ten years. In April 2023, the Capital District Prosecutor’s Office offered a reward of up to 500,000 pesos for information leading to his capture and delivery to authorities. To track down the suspect, agents from the PDI conducted field investigations both in the City of Mexico and in the State of Mexico, requesting assistance from the State Attorney General of Baja California. These efforts ruled out several locations before narrowing the search to Nicolás Romero, where Arturo "N" was finally located and apprehended. Prosecutors stated that this arrest aims to advance the case through the courts, emphasizing that the accused must be considered innocent until proven guilty. The killing of Paola Buenrostro became a landmark case for the transgender community in Mexico. It was the first recognized case of trans femicide by the former Human Rights Commission of the Federal District (CDHDF) and led to Recommendation 02/2019. The commission documented numerous irregularities and deficiencies in the initial investigation, including the failure to recognize Paola's gender identity and the secondary victimization of one of her companions. The recommendation also noted that authorities did not initially acknowledge this person as part of Paola's social family or as an indirect victim, affecting their right to know and participate in the investigation. In 2021, the FGJ CDMX accepted the recommendation and publicly apologized to Paola's memory and her social family. The demand for justice from Paola's companions, relatives, and transgender organizations persisted for years, contributing to the passage of the so-called Paola Buenrostro Law, which incorporated trans femicide into the Criminal Code of the City of Mexico in 2024. The prosecutor’s office highlighted its collaboration with Paola's social family and with Casa de las Muñecas Tiresias, an organization with which it signed an agreement in 2023 to provide care, shelter, counseling, and support to LGBTQ+ individuals. "With this arrest, we take a decisive step toward advancing Paola's case in court," said the head of the capital's prosecution, Bert.