Family searching for three men missing in Mexico

An Odessa woman is in Mexico today with other family members attempting to locate her brother, husband and father, who traveled Friday to Ojinaga, Mexico to visit relatives.

Oyuqui Gabaldon-Garcia says her brother, Barnaby Gabaldon, 22, of Odessa was kidnapped. Barnaby, a Permian High School graduate, her husband, David Garcia, a mechanic, and her father, Alfredo Gabaldon, both of Mexico, disappeared around noon Saturday, Gabaldon-Garcia reported.

Later in the day Saturday, a family friend in Mexico told her that her brother, father and husband were taken by police.  

 The family has contacted the State Department regarding the disappearance of the three men. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been contacted family members said. Calls to the FBI office in Midland were not returned Monday.

Ector County Sheriff Mark Donaldson said his office has no jurisdiction and the case must be pursued by State Department or the FBI.

“He (Barnaby Gabaldon) is from here and we’ll assist any way we can,” Donaldson said.

Pastor Gabriel Chavez of the Word of God Ministries Church has been in contact with the family members who traveled to Mexico.

“At the moment we don’t know why they were abducted in the first place,” Chavez said. “Right now we are just at a standstill.”

Chavez said a family friend “witnessed the three men being herded into trucks that looked like police vehicles.” 

He said the Mexican police have denied involvement and “that is why the FBI was called.”

Chavez said he has known Barnaby Gabaldon since he was 11-years-old and called him a law-abiding citizen. He said Barnaby Gabaldon played football at Permian.

Barnaby Gabaldon had even started work recently with A & E Construction, Chavez’s son, and Barnaby Gabaldon’s longtime friend, Isaiah Chavez said.

“He is like a son to me — he is a very good young man who is always putting others first – an all-around good guy.” Gabriel Chavez said. “He needs to come home and be with his family,”

Gabriel Chavez organized a prayer vigil for the family Monday night at the church on South West County Road.

About 70 people gathered for the vigil at Word of God Ministries Church after a day of fasting in honor of the three men.

“It’s more of a turn out than what I thought it would be,” Garcia’s cousin Hector Cuevas said.

 Barnaby Gabaldon is cheerful and the type of person willing to go out of his way to help others, Cuevas said, and went on to describe Garcia as outgoing and God-fearing.

Alfredo Gabaldon and Garcia are both from Mexico and Barnaby Gabaldon, a U.S. citizen, was going to visit his relatives in Mexico, Cuevas said.

It’s something Barnaby Gabaldon and his other family members in the U.S. do sporadically, Cuevas said.

“For now the only thing we can do is pray — we are powerful people in prayer,” Gabriel Chavez said. “We will stay out of the way of authorities and let them do their job.”

Reporter Gabriella Lopez contributed to this report.

@OAciti

IN YOUR VIEW

• Tamara Sosa: Hope and pray they r found safe and brought home
• Liset Estrada: Thts very sad my parents were born and raised is the town of el porvenir as kids we used to visit family we still had it was such a calm piece full town. My dad even had a house there to think they will never be able to go relive there child hood memories..
• Marie Gomez: Prayers going to this family. May God bring your family back safely in Gods name We pray!!!
• Priscilla Velasquez: I pray that they find them
• Edlin Melchor: I pray they find em safe n unharmed I bet it's a very scary situation for them n d family members:/