The mother who hunted down ten killers in narco territory

The mother who hunted down ten killers in narco territory: The murder of Karen Rodríguez MartínezOne night at the El Junior restaurant, Miriam heard a name: Sama. Her daughter Karen had been missing for 72 hours after a kidnapping in San Fernando, Tamaulipas—a city under the control of the Zetas. The ransom paid did not bring Karen back. Miriam decided that the police would not do it: she would understand for herself why.In this episode, we explore how a mother without forensic training tracked down Sama on Facebook, disguised herself as a state official, and forced the investigation to move forward while the State opted for silence. We will uncover Cristian Zapata's confession, the abandoned ranch, and the impossible contradiction: the Mexican police expertise denied that the remains were Karen's; American specialists confirmed her DNA a year later. Who then ordered the thirteen shots that killed Miriam on Mother's Day?Victim: Karen Rodríguez Martínez Date: January 23, 2014 (kidnapping); May 10, 2017 (Miriam's murder) Location: San Fernando, Tamaulipas, Mexico Status: Ten criminals captured; mastermind unidentified - Miriam identified the kidnapper as Uriel Elizondo, 19 years old, a member of the Zetas, using only physical surveillance and a disguise. - The fragment of Karen's femur was rejected by initial Mexican expertise but confirmed by American DNA twelve months later. - Two of the convicts captured by Miriam escaped from prison in March 2017—just six weeks before her murder. - Eric Leonel and Alfredo confessed to executing Miriam but never revealed the name of the person who ordered her killing. Miriam Rodríguez Martínez, San Fernando Tamaulipas, kidnapping 2014, murder narco justice, citizen investigation, criminal minds, homicide corruption, forensic, truth, true crime Spanish If you want to listen to this podcast without ads and have access to premium episodes, we invite you to try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and associated materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use in whole or in part is prohibited without prior written authorization from OBOMEDIA. For permissions, licenses, and business inquiries, write to: [email protected] listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 14-day free trial at obomedia.comOBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons  a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie