Ceci Flores recovered the remains of her son, Marco Antonio, this March during a search in the Mexican state of Sonora. He was kidnapped by one of Mexico's cartels in 2019.
Disappearances are all too common in Mexico. There are more than 133,000 people listed as missing in the country. But the real number could be much higher, because many disappearances are not reported to the authorities.
Mexico's powerful drug cartels are behind most of the disappearances, but sometimes, it's the Mexican authorities.
"In the case of my son, it’s a cartel that was responsible for his disappearance. He had a shop where he sold drinks, food, etc, but also drugs, except he wasn’t working for the cartel,” Flores said.
The families are often left to search for their loved ones on their own. To fill the gap left by the authorities’ inaction, Flores has created a collective of mothers seeking their sons and daughters.
Read the full story on our website:
Read moreMexico: A mother exhumes her son’s bones, seven years after his disappearance
