“I will look for you, I will find you…” This is easily one of the most memorable movie quotes, thanks to Liam Neeson in Taken.
But the heroics of that story isn’t only limited to film, as one mum ended up on a Taken-style mission.
Miriam Rodriguez, from Mexico, hunted down 10 people involved in her daughter’s murder, but it sadly came at a cost.
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Karen Alejandra Salinas Rodríguez went missing in 2012 at the age of 20 and confused by the lack of attention from authorities, the mum decided to take matters into her own hands.
Her goal wasn’t necessarily to avenge her daughter but to simply find answers, going to seriously brave lengths in her work to do so.
Following her own lengthy investigation, she was led to members of a gang named ‘Los Zetas’, one of Mexico's most infamous and dangerous drug cartels.
Miriam was able to narrow down her search to a handful of them who she believed to be involved in Karen’s kidnapping.
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Like something out of a film, she used fake identities and disguises to expose the men. After pinpointing one of the men, she disguised herself as a healthcare worker and pretended to be conducting a local survey in the area, gathering enough information for police to arrest him.
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And once he was behind bars, the gang member gave up the names of others, one of whom was only 18 years old which Miriam used to her advantage.
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She relied on her motherly compassion to convince him to fess up Karen’s location. But this sadly led to the devastating discovery as he confirmed she had been killed.
The mum continued in her search for justice, tracking down everyone involved in her daughter’s murder.
She reportedly even cornered one into an alleyway, putting a gun to his back and warning him: “If you move, I’ll shoot you.”
Miriam spent a number of years taking down 10 different gang members who were said to have tried to get away with what happened to Karen.
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However, while it made her a figure of hope and admiration to other mourning families in San Fernando who had lost their loved ones to the cartel, it put her in a dangerous position.
On Mother’s Day in Mexico (10 May) in 2017, Miriam’s life tragically came to an end when she was shot 12 times in front of her home and was killed.
Although Miriam had requested armed protection in the years after her cartel takedown, she once said, as reported by the New York Times: “I don’t care if they kill me. I died the day they killed my daughter.
“I want to end this. I’m going to take out the people who hurt my daughter and they can do whatever they want to me.”
Topics: Crime, True Crime, Parenting
Jess Battison