A mother has pursued justice for a long time to find the Mexican drug cartel members who kidnapped her daughter.
Miriam Rodríguez, a determined and courageous woman, decided to address her own problem when authorities failed to take action after her 20-year-old daughter, Karen, was kidnapped in 2014.
Her goal was not revenge but to find answers and uncover the truth about her daughter's disappearance.
After many investigations, she finally found the dangerous Los Zetas drug cartel.
She carefully identified one of the men involved in her daughter's kidnapping and made a meticulous plan.
Miriam disguised as a healthcare worker, conducted a local survey, gathering important information that led to the arrest of the suspect.
During the risky journey, she had the assistance of her son, Luis to catch a gang member and convince him to disclose the names of other cartel members.
Through her motherly compassion, she persuaded an 18-year-old member to reveal her daughter's whereabouts.
Unfortunately, he confirmed that Karen had been killed and was buried on a remote, abandoned farm.
Instead of giving up, Miriam's determination grew stronger to destroy the notorious cartel. Through her many investigations, the mass excavation of dozens more dead bodies.
For the next three years, she assumed many disguises, changed her appearance, and even infiltrated the cartel's families to gather information about those responsible for her daughter's kidnapping and death.
Ten different gang members were caught due to Miriam's fierce pursuit.
Her efforts inspired hope and admiration among other grieving families in San Fernando who had also lost loved ones to the cartel.
Additionally, she also founded an organization called “Colectivo de Desaparecidos de San Fernando” a support group for other families searching for their missing relatives.
She went to the farm and found Karen's scarf there. More tragically, Miriam also found a bone that was identified as part of her daughter's femur.
In 2016, all of Karen's kidnappers were brought to justice.
Six people died in a raid by Mexican marines, while the remaining four were detained in prison awaiting trial.
On May 10, 2017, Miriam was shot dead with a 9 mm pistol by two men believed to be part of the Zeta gang.
According to reports, they shot 13 times at Miriam, of which 8 bullets hit her in a dangerous place, causing her to die immediately.
Luis's son ran outside and found his mother collapsed 6 feet away from her car and her hand was in a ready position to pull out a gun to deal with it.
Despite Miriam's repeated pleas for armed protection in the aftermath of her confrontation with the cartel, she expressed an unwavering resolve, saying, "I am indifferent to the threat of death. The day my daughter was taken from me, a part of me died as well.
"My purpose is to bring an end to this nightmare. I’m going to take out the people who hurt my daughter and they can do whatever they want to me."
