After Teen Was Murdered, Mother Stalks Escaped Killers Across Mexico to Bring Her Daughter to Justice

Miriam Rodriguez dedicated herself to one goal, which is to find her daughter's murderers and have them imprisoned one by one.

Her daughter, Karen Alejandra Salinas Rodriguez, disappeared in January 2014 at age 16. She was last seen in the municipality of San Fernando, Tamaulipas, as reported by Info Bae.

It was also reported that she lived around the area of San Fernando, Tamaulipas.

She was inside her vehicle when many subjects blocked her path and took her away. Her kidnappers asked for ransoms, which they collected in exchange for her freedom. However, Karen was still murdered.

Since Karen's disappearance, her mother pursued her killers one by one. Miriam then tracked down those responsible for her daughter's murder and kidnapping with a gun, fake identification cards, and costumes.

With her meticulous obsession, half of those responsible were already in jail. To make this successful, she disguised herself as many things. Miriam had cut her hair and dyed. She had also acted as a healthcare worker and election official to get names and addresses.

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Her Unsuspecting Targets

One of her targets was a florist, which she had been hunting for a year and stalking him online. Miriam also interrogated the other criminals he worked with, as well as briefing relatives for tips on his whereabouts.

One day, a widow called her to inform that the florist was peddling flowers on the border.

She knew the florist had sold flowers on the street before joining the Zeta cartel and getting involved in her daughter's kidnapping.

On the bridge, she searched the vendors for flower carts. However, the florist was selling sunglasses on that day instead. Miriam found him. But she got too excited and too close. The florist ended up recognizing her and ran away.

Miriam, who was 56 at the time, grabbed him by his shirt and wrestled him down. Family members involved in her search to capture the florist said that Miriam told him that she will shoot him if he moves. Miriam held him there for nearly an hour and waiting for the police to make an arrest.

In the next three years, Miriam had captured about every living members of the crew that had kidnapped and killed her daughter.

They all tried to start new lives as a born-again Christian, a taxi driver, a car salesman, and a babysitter. She contributed to arresting to about 10 people at the time.

Miriam then asked the government for armed guards as she feared the cartel might retaliate.

Weeks after she chased down her last targets, she was shot in front of her home and killed on Mother's Day 2017, as reported by The New York Times.

Her husband found her face down on the street, hand tucked insider her purse, next to her pistol.

Violence and Impunity in Mexico

Miriam's death changed San Fernando for a while as people took their hearts her fight and was angered by her death.

Her son, Luis, took over the group that she founded, which is a collective of many local families whose loved ones had disappeared.