On Monday 9th of March, Mijas joined in the commemoration of National Day of Persons Missing Without Apparent Cause, a day for remembrance and solidarity, but also for reinforcing collective commitment. This was expressed on Monday 9th by the family of Juan Antonio Gómez, one of the five long-term missing persons from Mijas. "It is our duty not to allow the passage of time to turn absence into oblivion, therefore, on a day like today, we say loud and clear: forbidden to forget", said Carmen Gómez, Juan Antonio's sister and family spokesperson, who read a manifesto for the occasion alongside the mayoress of Mijas, Ana Mata (PP).
The text recalled that the 9th of March is a day dedicated to those who are missing, more than 6,700 people in Spain last year, but also to those who continue to search and wait. In this regard, Mata expressed the Town Hall's firm and unanimous support for all families experiencing the disappearance of a loved one. "We reiterate the importance of effective coordination between all administrations involved, as well as with the security forces, so that every disappearance is handled with speed, rigour and sensitivity, without downplaying any case or delaying essential actions", said the mayoress of Mijas.
- Lectura del manifiesto por parte de la alcaldesa Ana Mata.
- I. PÉREZ.
In this regard, the councillor for Local Police, Juan Carlos Cuevas Dawson (Vox), added that "have included in our procurement plans a special drone for searching for missing persons, as many disappearances are due to accidents and, if we act quickly and in time, we can achieve the outcome we all desire".
At a municipal level, the council is also committed to further actions to raise social awareness of this problem in society, "such as the celebration of the Mountain Film Festival in memory of Juan Antonio, which allows us to keep his memory alive through what he loved most: the mountains and adventure", said the councillor for Culture at the Mijas Town Hall, Juan Carlos Maldonado (PMP).
The manifesto read also highlighted the QSD Foundation's proposal to create a Statute for Persons Missing Without Apparent Cause, "which, at the very least in legal terms, would clarify the situation of the family and their circumstances, as well as their potential rights and obligations", said Mario Bravo, spokesperson for the PP at the Mijas Town Hall.
On Monday morning, Juan Antonio Gómez's family received support from relatives and friends, many of them Town Hall employees, "so that they can continue with their efforts to locate Juan Antonio, given the exhaustion, suffering and pain caused by such absences", said Nicolás Cruz, PSOE councillor in Mijas, to which Carmen Gómez added, "we understand that our struggle is somewhat solitary, but this support gives us the fuel to keep going".
- Respaldo a la familia de Juan Antonio por parte de amigos y trabajadores del Ayuntamiento.
- I. PÉREZ.
Missing persons in Spain
According to the Ministry of the Interior's 2025 Annual Report on Missing Persons and data from the National Centre for Missing Persons, there are currently a total of 6,722 people in Spain whose whereabouts are unknown. Five of them are from Mijas: Amy Fitzpatrick and María Isabel Cortés, both missing since 2008; Juan Antonio Gómez Alarcón, whose trail went cold in July 2010; Francisco Ruiz Galán, missing since 2011; and John Martin Leach, who disappeared in 2012.
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