The remains of Los Angeles firefighter Francisco “Frank” Aguilar, who went missing in Mexico in August, have been found after a monthslong investigation, officials announced Wednesday.
The Baja California central state prosecutor said the badly burned body was found on Oct. 23 in a desolate field in Rosarito, according to Border Report, an online news source from KTLA parent company Nexstar. Officials were only able to confirm the identity Wednesday using forensic DNA testing.
It’s unclear what led authorities to the location of the body.
Aguilar, a 20-year veteran of the Los Angeles Fire Department, had gone to Rosarito to check on a condo his family rents out when he disappeared. The 48-year-old traveled alone and was only planning for the trip to last a few days.
“Our Department was notified this afternoon that authorities in Mexico determined that human remains recently found there are those of LAFD Firefighter/Paramedic Francisco Aguilar,” said Chief Ralph Terrazas of the Los Angeles Fire Department. “This is a tragic outcome to a case we were hoping would end differently.”