Missing politician's family seeks no help
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Mexican authorities suspended their investigation Saturday into the disappearance of a former presidential candidate at his family's request.
On Friday night, the son of Diego Fernandez de Cevallos, who has been missing for a week, asked authorities to stay out of what he called the "negotiation" for his father.
The statement to local news media Friday by Diego Fernandez de Cevallos Gutierrez appeared to confirm that his family believes that Mr. Fernandez de Cevallos was kidnapped.
"We earnestly ask that [authorities] stay out of this process in order to help the negotiation," said the statement, which was signed by Mr. Fernandez de Cevallos Gutierrez.
The Attorney General's Office said Saturday the investigation has been has been halted "out of respect for the family's wishes."
A photo of a shirtless, blindfolded man resembling the gray-bearded politician appeared on social networking sites late Thursday.
The family's statement did not say whether talks had begun, if they had been contacted by kidnappers or what if any demands may have been made.
It is common for Mexican families to try to negotiate directly with kidnappers. But Mr. Fernandez de Cevallos' long-standing position in President Felipe Calderon's National Action Party makes their request more unusual.
Mr. Fernandez de Cevallos, 69, was reported missing on May 15 after his abandoned vehicle was found near his ranch in the central state of Queretaro with traces of blood found on a pair of scissors.
Mr. Fernandez de Cevallos was the 1994 presidential candidate of the National Action Party, or PAN.
First Published May 23, 2010 12:18 am
