Fugitive Police Chief Arrested in Disappearance of 43 Students

For the relatives of 43 students who disappeared amid a night of confusion and terror more than two years ago, answers could finally be on the way. Authorities in Mexico say they have arrested a former police chief who has been a fugitive since the 2014 disappearances in the southern city of Iguala, the Los Angeles Times reports. Former Iguala chief Felipe Flores Velazquez was arrested in the town Friday when he went to visit his wife and authorities say he is being held on suspicion of kidnapping and organized crime.

Investigations indicate that Velazquez "is one of those responsible with coordinating the operation that turned into aggression against the students," Renato Sales Heredia, head of the National Security Commission, told reporters. Authorities say the chief is suspected of conspiring with Iguala's mayor to attack the protesting students and of protecting police officers involved in the disappearance, CNN reports. The fugitive mayor and his wife were arrested in Mexico City weeks after the students vanished. There are conflicting theories about what happened to the 43 students, and the bodies have never been found, the LAT notes. (A search found the bodies of 129 other people.)