20-year-old Mexican police chief fired after failing to show up for work
Officials last week denied reports that Marisol Valles Garcia had abandoned her post.
March 7th, 2011
01:05 PM ET

20-year-old Mexican police chief fired after failing to show up for work

Police chief Marisol Valles Garcia has been fired, an official in Praxedis G. Guerrero, Mexico, said Monday.

The 20-year-old criminology student made headlines when she took the reins of the police force in one of the most violent cities in the border state of Chihuahua. It's common for police officers in Praxedis to be abducted and killed.

"Marisol did not show up for work this morning as she was expected," town secretary Andres Morales said. "Since she was on a personal leave that expired today and did not reach out to us over the weekend, she now faces termination.  It is now an official matter.  We don't know anything about her whereabouts. Our attempts to get a hold of her during the weekend were unsuccessful."

Praxedis Mayor Jose Luis Guerrero told CNN last week that Valles Garcia was on personal leave because her 8-month-old baby was sick. He said she was expected back at work Monday.

"Marisol, in fact, still works here and she's still getting paid. She comes back on Monday," he said.

Praxedis is located about 35 miles southeast of Ciudad Juarez, one of the bloodiest cities in world.

Read CNN's full coverage of the young police chief's firing
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Filed under: Crime • Drugs • Mexico
soundoff (432 Responses)
  1. Kiki

    Asylum in the US- pure and simple – In the last 4 years, 20 or more police chiefs from Mexican townships have sought asylum in the US, by showing their lives and family were in danger of assasination by the cartels. For US, we cannot deny entry to these asylees because it is such a hot hot topic, with all the politics and government money spent between US and Mexico to fight the cartel. They just show up with their familes at the port of entry such as Tijuana (San Ysidro), El Paso etc. and make the request. They already have well publized media coverage from Mexico to prove they are police chiefs and that they are in potential danger.

    March 7, 2011 at 1:05 pm | Report abuse |
  2. Saint Marquis

    ... Relax ... She's already re-located to the US and is working 3rd shift at an IHOP in Des Moines, Iowa ... Plus, her 8 month old child is already receiving state assisted support and food stamps .... Viva la raza! God bless, America!

    March 7, 2011 at 1:06 pm | Report abuse |
  3. Soul Sold Separately

    On the plus side, she now has a much better chance of making it to her 21st birthday

    March 7, 2011 at 1:06 pm | Report abuse |
  4. Wyothinker

    If you read the earlier stories, you may be able to question her experience - but you can not question her drive, courage , and determination to attempt to serve her community. It seems this is a young lady that made a decision to study criminal justice and then found her community lacking in more experienced and better qualified persons to take the reins of the Department. I remember being in law enforcement at that age, like so many, I had the ideal view; I knew that I could change the world alone. Me and my fellow recruits were 6 foot tall and bullet proof. Fortuntately we had good FTO's and Shift Sargeants to disquade us of those views, so thirty five years later I can write this comment. She did not have that advantage or support. Now, she is missing. Rather than cast negative thoughts, offer your prayers that she and her baby are safely in the care of the US State Department. The alternatives, of her watching her baby die at the hands of narco-terrorists before she is killed; being kdnapped and torturted; or, other awful outcomes are real possibilities. Sending the message that she is no longer the Chief, may be an attempt to save her life. There are far too many parts in play for anyone to reach any conclusion, except she seems to be a member of the brotherhood of law enforcement which knows no borders - all should offer her their prayers for her safety and that of her child.

    March 7, 2011 at 1:07 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Anchorite

    It doesn't make sense that she'd be fired for being a day late back from sick leave, and the mayor himself denied she was fired, so what's going on?

    March 7, 2011 at 1:09 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Bob

    What a bunch of brave mexicans. They let a 20 year old girl take care of vicious drug gangs, then when she flees for her life, they fire her!

    They should make a new mexican reality show where they take every politicians there who fired her, and make them chief of police for a few weeks one by one.

    March 7, 2011 at 1:09 pm | Report abuse |
  7. spoo

    since the ATF is arming the cartels, the police in Mexico have no other option than to leave.

    March 7, 2011 at 1:10 pm | Report abuse |
  8. brianm

    The author of this report fails to leave out a huge detail. Every other major news outlet has been reporting for days now that the reason that this girl quit was because she was given death threats by a drug cartel. POOR REPORTING.

    March 7, 2011 at 1:10 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Tewrobert

    I think just about anyone can get a job as a policeman in the great country of Mexico,
    So if you think your a match for the cartel come on down......Your final destination 🙂

    March 7, 2011 at 1:10 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Sean

    So many of you are terribly uninformed. Learn about the situation before you make ignorant comments about a 20 year old woman holding this position.

    For all we now, firing her was an attempt to help her. Maybe someone thought that if she no longer held the position of police chief she would be in less danger.

    March 7, 2011 at 1:12 pm | Report abuse |
  11. S. Hurley

    Getting fired may have saved her life.

    March 7, 2011 at 1:13 pm | Report abuse |
  12. Kirk

    She's cute! She can clean my house anytime!

    March 7, 2011 at 1:13 pm | Report abuse |
  13. sveyden

    maybe the dingo ate her.

    March 7, 2011 at 1:14 pm | Report abuse |
  14. JM

    They took advantage of her absence and made it a reason to fire her. That is better for politicians than having her showing up on tv saying that she is quitting because of her life is in danger and the goverment is not doing anything about it.

    March 7, 2011 at 1:14 pm | Report abuse |
  15. Sarah

    In a town where it's common for police to be abducted and killed, I'm glad to see that they are more concerned with firing her for not showing up to work, instead of expressing concern that she may be another victim since they've been unable to reach her.

    March 7, 2011 at 1:16 pm | Report abuse |
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