Miriam Elizabeth Rodríguez Martínez born 5 February 1960, was a prominent Mexican human rights activist who dedicated her life to seeking justice for victims of violent crimes.
Tragically, she became a member of the “Missing Child Parents” group after her own daughter was kidnapped and murdered. On 10 May 2017, Miriam was fatally shot 12 times by unidentified gunmen in front of her home.
The Beginning
Born on February 5, 1960, in San Fernando, a city in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, Miriam Elizabeth Rodríguez Martínez experienced the disappearance of her daughter, Karen Alejandra Salinas Rodríguez, in 2012.
On that fateful day, Karen Alejandra Salinas Rodríguez, who was 20 years old at the time, was driving through San Fernando when two trucks pulled up beside her. Men wielding weapons then entered her vehicle by force, and subsequently drove away with her.
Following the abduction of Karen, Rodríguez and her family dedicated the next few weeks to finding her and bringing her home. They were aware that the Zetas cartel, a branch of the Gulf Cartel, had taken Karen. This cartel was notorious for abducting innocent individuals and utilizing their ransoms to finance their criminal activities.
The family of Karen made every effort to comply with the cartel’s demands. Despite being bombarded with a constant stream of phone calls, threats, and requests, they took out a loan to pay Karen’s ransom and left a bag of money at a designated location. However, Karen did not return home.
With no other recourse, Miriam Rodríguez requested a meeting with a member of the cartel. To her surprise, one agreed to meet with her. Although he claimed to have no knowledge of Karen’s whereabouts, he offered to assist in locating her for a fee of $2,000. Rodríguez paid the sum, but it ultimately proved to be of no help.
Despite the lack of success in finding Karen, Miriam Rodríguez did obtain one piece of information from the meeting with the cartel member: the young man’s name was Sama.
Miriam dyed her hair red as a disguise
Miriam Rodríguez saw the revelation of the young man’s name as a breakthrough, and shared the news with her surviving daughter. Despite believing that Karen was no longer alive, she remained steadfast in her determination to bring her daughter’s kidnappers to justice.
Miriam Rodríguez’s Compelling Desire for Justice
Miriam Rodríguez proceeded to meticulously gather clues about the kidnappers of her daughter. She managed to locate Sama on Facebook and identified one of his friends by recognizing her uniform from an ice cream store. After spending hours waiting outside the shop, she followed the friend to discover Sama’s place of residence.
Although Rodríguez was able to locate Sama’s home, she still needed more information. To avoid drawing attention to herself while sneaking around his neighborhood, she dyed her hair red, wore an old uniform, and pretended to conduct a “poll” while speaking with his neighbors. Despite being ignored by the authorities, Rodríguez eventually found a federal police officer who was willing to assist her.
While Sama initially evaded arrest, the police eventually managed to apprehend him. Sama provided the authorities with the names of other cartel members, who in turn provided further information about Karen’s abduction. One of them even agreed to lead the police to the ranch where Karen had been murdered.
Miriam was murdered in this park
At the ranch, Rodríguez discovered several belongings of Karen, including her scarf, a cushion from her truck, and one of her femur bones. This discovery only fueled her resolve to track down the individuals responsible for her daughter’s death.
Miriam Rodríguez relentlessly pursued 10 individuals who were involved in her daughter’s kidnapping. Some of them had left the cartel and tried to start new lives as born-again Christians or flower vendors, but Rodríguez had little compassion for them. She was determined to ensure that justice was served for her daughter, regardless of the circumstances or the passage of time.
When one of the cartel members was apprehended in a chapel, eliciting protests from the congregation, Miriam Rodríguez expressed her lack of sympathy for him. She posed the question, “Where was his compassion when they killed my daughter?” Rodríguez was unyielding in her pursuit of justice and refused to let anyone forget the heinous crime committed against her daughter.
Miriam Rodriguez is Murdered
In March 2017, a group of 29 prisoners managed to escape from a penitentiary in Ciudad Victoria, where some of Karen’s abductors were being held.
Tragically, on May 10, which is Mother’s Day in Mexico, the risks associated with Rodríguez’s mission caught up with her. As she limped toward her front door on crutches (having recently broken her foot while chasing a suspect), a white Nissan pulled up in front of her house. The car was being driven by some of the escaped inmates from the penitentiary where Karen’s abductors were being held.
The escaped inmates shot Miriam Rodríguez multiple times, before quickly fleeing the scene. Her husband discovered her lying in their driveway, with her hand inside her purse where she kept her own pistol. Her valiant fight for justice had unfortunately come to a tragic end.