Kriti Mehrotra
As a documentary that delves deep into the 2020 disappearance and death of environmental activist Homero Gómez González, Netflix’s ‘The Guardian of the Monarchs’ is unlike any other. That’s because it incorporates not just archival footage but also exclusive interviews with key individuals to really shine a light upon what happened to this rising, community-driven politician. Amongst those to thus be featured in this original is actually then-district deputy Octavio Ocampo Cordova, especially since he’s arguably one of the last people to have seen the former alive.
Who is Octavio Ocampo?
It was reportedly back when Michoacán, Mexico native Octavio was merely a young boy that he first developed an interest in law, justice, and government, only for it to expand as years passed. He hence enrolled at the University of San Nicolás de Hidalgo upon graduating from Isaac Arriaga High School in 2002, where he worked hard to earn a degree in law plus social sciences in 2007. However, per reports, he also holds an IT certificate from the Computer & Information Technology Technical Institute (1999), a diploma in Ecclesiology (2002), as well as a diploma in Latin (2002).
So, it was only after all this that Octavio evolved from just a militant of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) to a full-fledged effective national congress delegate for this political group. This was followed by his gradually rising up the ladder — from a secretary in different departments to state advisor to municipal president — until he finally held the title of local district deputy in 2018. Though little did he know that less than two years later, around early 2020, he’d come under public suspicion for the bizarre demise of then-50-year-old mayoral candidate Homero Gómez González.
According to witness statements, Octavio was actually at the local fair Homero had chosen to attend on January 13, 2020, for socializing purposes, and they’d even spent a good bit of time together. However, per his own narrative in the aforementioned film, “We only exchanged a few greetings. I probably left at around 6 in the afternoon. It wasn’t even dark yet… I went home and he stayed there.” The reason he hence became a possible suspect is because he was quite close to then-councilwoman Karina Alvarado, whose assistant somehow had Homero’s devices in possession; plus, he subsequently obtained a writ of protection order to avoid being interrogated. He later stated, “I had no idea somebody took his things.”
Where is Octavio Ocampo Now?
In the end, since there has never been any concrete evidence against Octavio and Karina or any clear indications of their probable motives, the dark cloud of public doubt over them remains just that: doubt. Nevertheless, the former has since managed to grow even further — with the help of seniors’ support, he now serves as the Michoacán State Leader of the Party of the Democratic Revolution. His motto per his Facebook page appears to be “Debes hacer, las cosas que crees que no puedes hacer…,” which translates to “You must do the things you think you can’t do…” and it seems like he’s currently doing his best to serve his people and overall integrated community.
Read More: Where is Homero Gómez González’s Family Now?
