FOUND Initiative Leverages Machine Learning to Aid Disappearance Cases in Mexico and Colombia
The FOUND initiative, co-founded by Chevening Scholar Miguel Moctezuma, is utilizing advanced technology, including a machine-learning platform, to locate and identify individuals who have disappeared. This program integrates frontier technologies with the practical knowledge of search groups, bringing together searching mothers, academic institutions, and authorities to enhance governmental responses to disappearances. A pilot program in Jalisco, Mexico, has expanded into a transnational effort across Mexico and Colombia. In July 2026, a machine-learning platform developed by FOUND's implementer, CentroGeo, played a crucial role in the recovery of human remains in Jalisco, working in collaboration with the Jalisco Search Commission and the National Guard. The initiative emphasizes that the true value of innovation lies in its human impact, demonstrating how technology, collaboration, and community experience can provide answers to grieving families.
