Waitress disappeared during her shift in Chihuahua; a year later, a cook makes a discovery at the restaurant. Miguel Torres Sandoval had finished cleaning the grills at El Fogón del Norte restaurant when he noticed that one of the tiles on the kitchen floor was loose. It was March 2012, and he had only been working there for two months. The tile would move every time he pushed the cleaning cart past it. “Another thing to fix,” he thought, as he bent down to examine it more closely. When he lifted it completely, he discovered a rectangular hollow in the concrete. Inside was a small metal box wrapped in plastic. Miguel glanced towards the kitchen door.
The restaurant was closed, and he was the only employee staying behind for the evening cleaning. He picked up the box and carefully unwrapped it. It contained a restaurant ID badge, a silver ring with initials, Polaroid photos, and a small diary. The badge had the name Rosa Delgado Morales, Waitress, and a hire date of January 15, 2011.
Miguel recognized the format of the old badges they had used before the new computerized system was implemented. He opened the diary. The first page had writing in a woman’s handwriting. “If anything happens to me, find Aurelio. He knows everything about the shady business.” August 15, 2011.
The photos showed the inside of the same restaurant, but from strange angles. One showed the manager’s office with papers scattered on the desk. Another captured a middle-aged man counting bills next to cardboard boxes. A third photo showed the restaurant’s back parking lot at night with several cars and people he couldn’t identify.
Miguel remembered hearing about an employee who had disappeared the previous year. The other workers mentioned Rosa, the waitress, in casual conversation, but they always changed the subject when he asked for details. He put everything back in the box and wrapped it in plastic.
His shift ended at midnight, and the restaurant didn’t open again until 7:00 the next morning. He had time to think about what to do with his discovery. He left the restaurant through the back door and walked to the bus stop. On the way home, he mentally reviewed what he knew about Rosa Delgado.
The older employees had mentioned that she was a hard-working young woman who supported her family. Her disappearance had occurred during a night shift, but he never learned any more details. When he arrived at his apartment, Miguel searched online for news about missing persons in Chihuahua during 2011. He found a short article in the local newspaper, dated August 20, 2011. Young Waitress Disappears Without a Trace.
Rosa Delgado Morales, 23, was last seen at her workplace on August 16. Police are investigating possible links to organized crime. The article included a photograph of Rosa. She was a young woman with long black hair, a kind smile, and expressive eyes. She wore her restaurant uniform in the photo.
The article mentioned that she had two younger sisters and that she helped support her family after her parents died. Miguel made a decision. The next day, he would look for more information about Rosa’s family. The newspaper address indicated a neighborhood on the outskirts of town. If the sisters still lived there, they deserved to know that he had found something related to Rosa.
The following morning, Miguel arrived early at work and carefully observed Aurelio Vázquez Herrera, the restaurant manager. He was a man of about 50, always well-dressed, who managed the schedules and payroll. The employees respected him, but Miguel noticed that they avoided lengthy conversations with him. During lunch, Miguel took the opportunity to ask Lucía Hernández Rojas, the most senior employee of the morning shift, about Rosa. “She was a good coworker,” Lucía said, while serving coffee.
“She always arrived on time, never complained about difficult shifts. The last night she worked, she seemed nervous. I remember she asked if anyone would stay late with her. What happened that night?” Aurelio said she left early because she felt unwell, but her purse and belongings were left in the locker room.
“The next day she didn’t come to work, and we haven’t heard from her since.” Miguel asked where Rosa’s family lived. Lucía gave him an address in the Riveras del Sacramento neighborhood. After work, Miguel took two buses to get there. The house was small, but well-maintained. He knocked on the door, and a young woman of about 25 answered.
“Are you looking for someone?” “I’m looking for the Delgado family. My name is Miguel Torres. I work at the restaurant where Rosa worked.” The woman… She immediately became serious. “I’m Carmen, Rosa’s sister. What do you know about her?” Miguel explained to her about his work at the restaurant and his discovery. Carmen invited him in and called her younger sister, Sandra, who is 20 years old.
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