Sixteen years after one of the deadliest fires in Mexico's history killed 49 children at a daycare in Hermosillo, Sonora, only 10 people have been charged in connection with the ABC Daycare case, according to Mexican media reports. Most of those convicted have received reduced sentences, fueling ongoing anger among the victims' families.
The fire occurred on June 5, 2009, when a government-run daycare caught fire with nearly 150 children inside. Government investigations later confirmed the facility failed to meet basic safety standards, including the installation of smoke detectors, clearly marked evacuation routes, and adequate emergency exits. Forty-two children were initially reported dead, but the death toll later rose to 49 as more succumbed to their injuries and related complications.
A total of 22 people were prosecuted for their roles in the tragedy. However, as Mexican outlets note, only 10 have been sentenced as of the fire's 16th anniversary — a decision that continues to draw protests from families and activists.
As reported by Proceso, the lack of convictions is another example of impunity in Mexico. Over the years, the number of people sentenced dropped from 22 to nine, and their sentences — originally set at a minimum of 20 years — were reduced to less than six years. Additionally, only one person is currently serving time for the fire.
Only Noemí López Sánchez, former head of the daycare department at the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) in Sonora, has been formally sentenced. She received nearly nine years and voluntarily turned herself in; she has been in prison since June 2024.
Others, including Sandra Lucía Téllez Nieves and Antonio Salido Suárez, owners of the ABC Daycare, have yet to be prosecuted.
For more than a decade, parents of the victims have accused the Attorney General's Office of enabling impunity in the case.
"All crimes committed, whether at the local or federal level, have a statute of limitations during which they can be prosecuted. This is something we told the IMSS staff and other authorities at the Attorney General's Office at the time," said Francisco García Quintana, father of one of the victims and president of Movimiento 5 de Junio, a grassroots organization formed by parents and relatives of the ABC Daycare victims.
He told Proceso the group has raised these concerns since the administration of former President Felipe Calderón and recently urged current President Claudia Sheinbaum to deliver justice to the families.
"This is a call for them to stop protecting these people and, once and for all, to enforce the sentences that are already final. We will not allow them to keep delaying the incarceration of those already sentenced because we will continue denouncing it," said Patricia Duarte, García Quintana's wife.
On the 16th anniversary of the tragedy, parents and activists are expected to take to the streets of Hermosillo to protest and express their frustration over the authorities' lack of legal action.
The 2009 fire took the lives of 49 children and left another 100 injured.
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