Editor’s note: This article has been updated with new details released Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, into the disappearance of Francisco “Frank” Aguilar, a longtime firefighter from Los Angeles.
SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — The head prosecutor in the state of Baja California, Hiram Sanchez, said Tuesday morning that Francisco “Frank” Aguilar, the missing firefighter from Los Angeles, was seen in a bar with the people who are likely responsible for his disappearance.
Aguilar, 48, was last heard from on Aug. 21, when he went to his Northern Baja condo to check on his property.
Last week, Sanchez said Aguilar was the likely victim of a “violent kidnapping.” On Tuesday, he termed it “a forced disappearance.”
Sanchez also said police officers found blood stains at another location and tests determined the blood came from a human being. Sanchez stopped short of saying whether the blood is that of Aguilar’s.
Investigators in Baja have said they found signs of violence at Aguilar’s condo.
“We have found a lot of evidence that leads us to believe this was an act of violence,” said Sanchez.
Aguilar’s relatives have said they last spoke with him via a WhatsApp text message. The FBI got involved in his disappearance six days later.
According to investigators, surveillance cameras recorded people inside Aguilar’s condo when he was “forcibly taken.” They claim to be in the process of identifying the suspects but have not released how many people are involved or who they might be.
Aguilar is a 20-year veteran of the Los Angeles Fire Department who served in the army before becoming a firefighter.
