García Rodríguez and Bonilla Zavaleta were at Tulipanes street in Gutiérrez Rosas neighborhood (where Sánchez lived) the moment the kidnapping occurred. They reportedly did not notice anything unusual and were eating hotdogs when the abduction took place. In fact, one of them sent a text message to her wife that he would pay one in advance for her. After that, both of them left to El Tejar and then to a park. As they patrolled the area, they were notified through radio that someone had been kidnapped in Gutiérrez Rosas and made their way back to the neighborhood. They interviewed a woman who said she was angry because she had called local authorities and no one had arrived, and that she had to call the Navy. García Rodríguez and Bonilla Zavaleta said they had seen Sánchez in person before and knew who he was, but that they had nothing to do with his abduction and murder. Both of them were charged with homicide and failure to fulfill a legal duty. García Rodríguez said that the government was using them as scapegoats. López Meneses, on the other hand, said he knew that Sánchez was a reporter who criticized the mayor and wrote about violence in Medellín de Bravo, but he also said he was innocent. He also told authorities that was not a deputy police chief in Medellín de Bravo. He said that a man known as Darío Vela was the one in charge of that position. On February 3, López Menses, García Rodríguez, and Bonilla Zavaleta, were officially charged by a Veracruz state court after authorities concluded that there were enough evidences to inculpate them. Because they were charged with homicide and failure to fulfill a legal duty, crimes considered grave under Mexican law, there were held without bond and imprisoned.
