Women account for most missing-person reports in Ecuador, with adolescents hardest hit

Women made up 55.3% of missing-person reports in Ecuador between January and July 2026, according to records cited by El Comercio. The figures have renewed attention on disappearances following the discovery of Lizeth Bunshi’s remains on Aug. 25, after 37 days of searching.

Ecuador recorded 4,507 reports during the period, compared with 4,406 in the same months of 2025. The 2026 total was therefore 101 cases higher, an increase of about 2.3%. Women accounted for 2,494 reports, while men accounted for 2,013.

Adolescents represented the largest group among the women reported missing. There were 1,743 adolescent cases, close to 70% of the female total. The records also included 603 adult women, 104 girls and 44 older women.

Sociologist Juan Sebastián Cueva explained that authorities initially register every disappearance reported to the Fiscalía as involuntary. Investigators can later reclassify a case as voluntary. Cueva said women disappear voluntarily more often, while involuntary disappearances occur more frequently among men.

He linked voluntary disappearances, particularly involving women and minors, to gender-based and domestic violence. Some people, he said, seek to leave violent environments, while women in poverty may have fewer resources to cope with abuse. Wilson Goyes, a security expert at the International University of Ecuador, also cited household conflicts, school pressure and emotional crises as factors that can appear behind initial alerts.

Among the women reported missing in the first seven months of the year, 2,157 were recorded as found, 312 remained missing and 25 were listed as deceased. Those figures represent about 86.5%, 12.5% and 1%, respectively. Cueva said cases ultimately classified as voluntary usually end with the person being found alive, while involuntary cases more often involve a deceased person or someone who remains unlocated.