By Natalia Rueda 
Tragedy struck the University of California, Berkeley community this week when Gabriel Trujillo, a 31-year-old doctoral student in the Department of Integrative Biology, was found dead in the northwestern state of Sonora, Mexico. Trujillo had traveled to the region to investigate a rare flowering shrub, St. John’s Rose, but went missing on June 17. His body was discovered five days later.
Trujillo had devoted himself to the pursuit of knowledge, spending four years traveling around the United States and Mexico to research the St. John’s Rose, also known as Guayabillo and Lagoon Scent, and its ability to thrive in diverse climates. His goal had been to use his findings to inform future habitat conservation and restoration efforts.
Sonora registered 518 homicides in May. But he expressed that this trip was crucial to his investigation. After a complaint from his family, the scientist was located by the State Public Security Police (Pesp) in the ravine and nine days later the Sonoran Prosecutor’s Office released a statement confirming that Trujillo had died due to several bullet wounds.
Although the exact motive for his killing is still unknown, the main hypothesis points to the possibility that the homicide may be related to drug violence. Yécora has become a war zone in the struggle of various drug cartels to gain territory in this region, located in a strategic point of the so-called golden triangle for drug trafficking into the United States.
The death of Gabriel Trujillo underscores the risks faced by environmental advocates in Sonora and other parts of Mexico. This tragedy is a call to authorities to investigate and bring those responsible to justice. Furthermore, it is a reminder that the safety of these activists must be ensured, and that everyone has the right to practice their profession and follow their passion in peace.