Ecuador recorded 742 disappearances between January and July 2026, the highest figure in the country’s history, according to official statistics from the Ministry of the Interior.
The figure far exceeds the records of previous years. In 2025, authorities registered 405 cases, an increase of 83.21% compared with the preceding year. In 2024, the country reported 229 disappearances, which represented a 224% rise.
These new statistics confirm a growing trend that has turned forced disappearances into one of Ecuador’s most acute social emergencies.
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The case of Lizeth Bunshi Muñoz illustrates the magnitude of the crisis. The 28-year-old mother was last seen on July 19, 2026, in Quito, near the Machángara River, in front of Cumandá Park. One month after her disappearance, the anguish of her family increased because the official operations to find her had diminished.
“We feel abandoned by the State because we have not seen a greater response,” Katherine Minda, Lizeth’s sister-in-law, said on August 12. Minda warned that the official search group is being reduced every day. The absence of institutional support has forced the relatives and loved ones of Lizeth Bunshi to conduct independent searches along the dangerous slopes of the Machángara River.
#Seguridad | Entre enero y julio de 2026 desaparecieron, en promedio, cuatro personas cada día. Es decir, se registró un caso cada 6 horas.#LaRadioDeLasNoticias
Los detalleshttps://t.co/IirMix0TNn pic.twitter.com/0B9qQhVziN
— Radio Pichincha (@radio_pichincha) August 20, 2026
The story repeats itself across the country. Every week, new reports of people who left their homes and never returned circulate in local media, while families wait for answers that rarely arrive. The perception of an absent State grows among citizens who demand immediate action from authorities. For relatives, the lack of a coordinated response transforms every disappearance into a race against time. In the case of Lizeth Bunshi, the search has become a daily ordeal along the banks of the Machángara River, an area considered dangerous for residents.
Violence Hidden in Figures
The statistics not only reflect the situation of those who have not returned home; they also expose a violent reality for those who are found. Between January and July 2026, 237 disappeared people were found dead, making this period the fourth in the country’s history with the highest number of fatal outcomes.
The combination of record disappearances and rising lethal findings points to a deterioration of citizen security that successive governments have failed to contain. For civil organizations and affected families, the official response remains insufficient while insecurity expands across urban and rural territories. The figures from the Ministry of the Interior contradict the official narrative of improved security and deepen the perception of an absent State.
Families continue to demand effective search protocols, immediate institutional responses and public policies that address the structural causes of forced disappearances in Ecuador. Civil society organizations insist that the State must assume its responsibility to protect citizens and investigate each case with due diligence. Without a decisive State presence, the number of cases will likely keep climbing, and more families will be left to search alone for their missing loved ones.
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