On October 27, 2018, Canadian Malcom Madsen went to a Puerto Vallarta bar with his Mexican girlfriend Marcela Acosta Ramos. They left together just after midnight. It was the last time the 68-year-old Madsen was seen alive.
In Port Hope, Ontario, 4,400 km away, Madsen’s daughter Brooke Mullins, turned detective out of desperation. Puerto Vallarta police were frustratingly unhelpful, even though there were clear suspects and increasingly undeniable incriminating evidence.
This compelling seven-year journey was the subject of a feature documentary by the CBC. And now it’s about to be released as a book. Malcom is Missing, written by one of the directors of the documentary, Robert Osborne, and published by Rocky Mountain Books examines the disappearance of Malcom Madsen and the work that led to the ultimate discovery and conviction of the killers.
This work is led by Brooke, whose journey involves many allies, including friends of her father who were among the first to notice him missing, an activist lawyer and an investigative reporter who dared not show his face on camera. Her family life was strained and her costs were considerable. We discover that in Mexico one often must pay the police to get them to do their job and pay others for evidence (including body parts that may have been Malcom’s).
In between the moments of investigative discovery, Malcom is Missing paints a picture of a strained but loving family, a man-child of a father who left Brooke’s life early but maintained a bond that compelled her to find out his fate. We see a man who’s a curious combination of guarded and suspicious yet oddly naïve and trusting.
Through a combination of video, money-obsessed texts from Mexico and GPS records from cars and phones, Brooke builds what would seem to be a ridiculously airtight case. And still, the authorities found ways to deflect and deny the obvious.
“It would be hard to build a more compelling case,” says Robert Osborne. “Brooke had three “smoking gun” pieces of evidence. And yet time after time when she would take that evidence to the Mexican prosecutor, he would dismiss it as inconclusive. Brooke’s continued push for justice is a testament to her own perseverance.”
On April 14th 2023, four and a half years after he disappeared, Malcom’s killers were finally convicted in a Mexican court—Marcela, Martin and Andres each received sentences of 56 years.
“This is an astonishing accomplishment for Brooke and her allies,” continues Robert Osborne, “only about 2% of violent crimes ever end up getting to court and being tried in Mexico. She defied the odds in making sure her father’s case was part of that 2%.”
Since the convictions, Brooke has been trying valiantly to get back the money that Marcela grabbed from her father’s estate—hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of real estate. So far, the Mexican justice system is moving at its usual glacial pace to deal with it.
“This book goes where the documentary could not go,” says Osborne, “I was able to do a much deeper dive into the research and uncover some fascinating twists and turns. I think it will surprise even people who think they know the story.”
Malcom is Missing will be release on April 8th. For anyone interested in the book it can be ordered at:
Pre-order directly from Rocky Mountain Books: t.ly/Pbbhm
Pre-order on Bookshop.org: t.ly/5HelS
Find a local bookstore: t.ly/eZGNp
Pre-order from A Different Booklist (Toronto): t.ly/Qx1Ks
Pre-order from Indigo: t.ly/v7gm5
Pre-order from Amazon: t.ly/DpId7
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
