Army patrol searching for Ericka Gandara

The last remaining police officer in the Mexican border town of Guadalupe has disappeared.

A spokesman for prosecutors in Mexico’s northern Chihuahua state says a search has started for 28-year-old Ericka Gandara, who hasn’t been seen Dec 23.

Some local media have reported Ms Gandara was kidnapped, but spokesman Arturo Sandoval says her relatives have not filed a kidnap complaint.

Surprised?

Mr Sandoval said on Tuesday the search was started as a missing-person case. The same day she disappeared, assailants also set fire to the home of a Guadalupe town councilwoman.

Drug cartels have fought bloody battles for control of the Juarez Valley where Guadalupe is located, leading most police officers there to resign.

The only surprise was that someone took the job.