After conducting an evening mass at Los Cinco Señores parish on 3 November 2013 in Jiménez, Tamaulipas, Ornelas Puga was reportedly kidnapped by gunmen presumably involved in organized crime. Witnesses notified local authorities of the abduction the moment the crime occurred. However, no measures were taken for more than four days, according to Roman Catholic Diocese of Ciudad Victoria spokesman Fernando Sandoval. On 7 November, the Tamaulipas authorities sent a convoy of state police officers and an anti-kidnapping team to investigate the case, but they were ambushed by gunmen in Padilla, Tamaulipas. The attack left three officers (two male and one female) wounded by gunfire.
