Posted on 08/25/2007 7:41:40 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
The families of two Laredo women who disappeared on the streets of Nuevo Laredo three years ago as they were headed home now believe they were pulled over by a Mexican police officer just five blocks from a Lincoln-Juarez International Bridge. Brenda Cisneros was celebrating her 23rd birthday when she and Yvette Martinez became two of Laredos missing on Sept. 17, 2004. The two had attended a Pepe Aguilar concert in Nuevo Laredo, and called a friend at about 4 a.m. to say they were on their way back to Laredo. That was the last that any friend or family member heard from them.
The womens families said Friday they have received eyewitness testimony that an officer stopped the two as they were driving back to Laredo. Its unclear what happened then; their car was found in a Nuevo Laredo police impound lot several weeks later.
"This is my baby and I love you and I miss you so much," said Cisneros mother, Priscilla, as she pointed to a T-shirt with Brendas photo.
"Every single day I pray, Lord, please take care of my daughter," Priscilla said through tears. "My life has completely changed."
Cisneros and Martinez are two of 46 unsolved missing persons cases involving Americans who were kidnapped in or near Nuevo Laredo over the past five years, according to U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza.
But U.S. officials hope that recent cooperation between U.S. and Mexican officers involved with the U.S.-Mexico Joint Kidnapping Task Force will open doors to cracking these cases.
Friday, the family met with U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, Mayor Raul Salinas and FBI agents at City Hall to discuss the new task force efforts and status of the cases.
U.S. officials recently received a letter from Mexican President Felipe Calderón and Security Secretary Genaro Garcia Luna, expressing interest in getting to the bottom of the missing American cases, Salinas said. In response, Cuellar said, the FBI shared detailed information with federal Mexican officials about each of the missing person cases.
"Now the Mexican law enforcement have the information to work on the missing American (cases)," Cuellar said after the meeting.
Salinas said that with continued cooperation between the two countries, breaks in the cases could occur.
"Were going to get answers, try to get answers," Salinas said after the meeting as some members of the Laredos Missing organization lingered. "We have not forgotten your family and we will not forget your family."
Laredos Missing is an organization formed several years ago by families of missing persons to provide a support mechanism and combine efforts to find missing loved ones.
Cuellar said this is the first time in recent history Mexico has inquired specifically about missing Americans, which is step in the right direction.
"I think weve taken some steps that have not been there in the past," Cuellar said. "Theyre (Mexico) now recognizing, in my opinion, the missing Americans.
"One way or another, in fairness to the families, we need to find closure."
It is now up to Mexico to follow the leads, Cuellar said, but the U.S. must continue to put political pressure on Mexico to ensure the information is utilized.
Salinas said when U.S. officials travel to Mexico City to apply that political pressure, they will also bring families of the missing people. There, the families can share their stories in hopes of persuading Mexican officials to follow through with investigations.
"We need to break the ice," Salinas said. "Somebody out there knows something."
The years that passed since the individuals went missing make the cases more difficult to solve, Cuellar said. But since he began working with Laredos Missing in 2005, Cuellar said he has noticed the families resilience.
"As every day goes by it diminishes hope, but at the same time, we cant give up hope," he said.
William Slemaker, Martinezs stepfather, has been actively pursing anything that may help find his loved one. It was Slemaker who found Martinezs car in the Nuevo Laredo police impound lot. Officers said the stripped car was listed as "abandoned" but they had no information about how it ended up in the lot.
Slemaker said he hopes the sharing of information between the U.S. and Mexican federal agencies will lead to quick action.
"Its urgent," he said. "Every day our children live in captivity, they live their lives subject to being threatened, beaten, raped or even murdered."
(Ashley Richards may be reached at 728-2538 or by e-mail at ashley@lmtonline.com)
After 3 years, Henry. Amazing!
Los dos Laredos ping!
If you want on, or off this S. Texas/Mexico ping list, please FReepMail me.
I hear our president is very close to the authorities in Mexico. Perhaps he could help.
My bet is that Mexican law enforcement are probably involved.
When I was a kid in the fifties, my mother took me, my younger brother and our teenaged girl cousin for a driving vacation through Monterrey and Mexico City. We’d have been insane to try that today. I wouldn’t set foot in that hell hole now.
I have a different plan with different steps. It involves armed Americans along the entire stretch of the border. For every kidnapped American in Mexico, we move 1000 armed Americans forward 50 yards. If they keep up, we’ll be within a day’s march in a short amount of time.
History repeats itself...
You got that right. As far as I am concerned, any American that crosses the border into that hell hole of a Third World Country is an idiot and deserves anything that happens to them just for being stupid.
You know, we don’t raise nearly as much a stink over kiddnappings by them as they do about some criminal citizen of theirs committing crimes in our country.
The entire relationship we have with Mexico is just wrong.
Yes, there is that. I still have family that flat refuse to believe there's a problem in Mexico and want to vacation there.
Nothing good can come of this.
There's a complete memorial quilt just for kidnapped/missing Americans in Mexico! Ugh.
Raped and murdered by Mexican police, no doubt. It’s not uncommon. Several American women were raped by Mexican customs police right in their station literally on the border at San Ysidro (San Diego) a few years ago.
Strong rumors continue in the hundreds of cases of murdered Juarez women, that the disappeareds were taken by police.
It’s the border strip that’s out of control. The tourist cities like Cancun and Mazatlan are fine, IMO.
A Laredo TV station sent a reporter to the Nuevo Laredo police station to see what the average Mexican policman was driving. A majority of the Mexican police at that station were driving stolen American cars.
Their first mistake was going to a Pepe Aguilar concert in Nuevo Aplocalyptoville. Who in their right mind would even want to pay to hear that “music”
A case of our Mexicans (Mexican Americans to be exact) being raped tortured and killed by Mexican Mexicans
Driving through the streets of Laredo at 4:00a.m.?
Might as well cut your wrist and go swimming off the Great Barrier Reef.
Nuevo Apocalyptoville: too right.
Uhhh I had it pumped through my head involuntarily for nearly two years when I needed to sleep. Some were played so often that I was piecing together the lyrics through what remained of French classes (Latin roots both).
Total downer to realize that the songs are along the vein of "Mexican Forever" and "Outfoxing La Migra".
The weirdest thing is how the Nazi-transferred Argentinian Polka-Salsa pops up a lot. Very appropriate for La Raza.
My sympathies! That’s enough to make anyone despise Mexican culture
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