Ayotzinapa's 43: A State Crime

September 26, 2014. Students traveling from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College are attacked on their way to a demonstration in Mexico City, leaving six dead and 43 missing. But when the government tries to close the case prematurely, the families turn to independent investigators to uncover the truth.

After the remains of one student are found, officials attempt to close the case again, but the GIEI obtains images that challenge the official narrative. Meanwhile, Mexico welcomes a new president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who promises to prioritize solving the case.

After discovering a previously unmentioned fifth bus, the GIEI’s investigation leads them to Chicago, where a DEA case has linked Mexican criminal syndicate Guerreros Unidos with trafficking heroin to the U.S. via buses. Later, coded messages are intercepted and brought to the GIEI’s attention that contain vital information about the night of the attack.

While a secret file seems to indicate that the Mexican Navy manipulated the crime scene, Alejandro Encinas’ Ayotzinapa Truth Commission (COVAJ) connects the disappearance of the students to high-ranking army and government officials.

After the U.S.’s arrest of Defense Secretary Salvador Cienfuegos, President López Obrador defends the military and forces Omar Gómez’s resignation. As the GIEI grapples with a devastating decision about their ongoing participation in the case, the families continue their fight while reflecting on their difficult ten-year journey.