Rebeca Espinosa de los Monteros, mother to murdered Karen Esquivel, addressed the media after her 19-year-old daughter went missing on September 22. The university student was last seen in Lomas Verdes area, State of Mexico, near Curves gym where she worked as a fitness instructor. However, the question still remains whether she entered the gym or not as the security cameras show Karen a few steps from the gym at 15:56, after this time her whereabouts remain unclear.
Espinosa de los Monteros referred to Karen as “[...] a good daughter, a very good friend of mine […] beautiful inside and out.”, she added: “I demand results and justice, that the responsible for this crime is jailed. I will see justice is made. I feel outraged and hurt, this has changed our lives […] It is time to take action, to trigger warning lights and to try hard to bring violence against women to a halt” in a clear reference to State of Mexico stats on female murders, disappearances and violence.
She later commented on the alleged murderer of his daughter, Fernando González García, who worked as a valet parking of Curves gym: “Unfortunately, this person annihilated all my daughter’s dreams and shattered the lives of her family”, she noted that they are now in possesion of an arrest warrant for González García after meeting with his family and acquaintances, who confirmed he is a drug user.
She added: “I want to demand a due dignity and respectful treatment from authorities for anybody who denounces a crime.” Espinosa de los Monteros told of her ordeal in the Attorney General’s Office of Naucalpan, State of Mexico, where they took seven hours to have her denouncement process started; she said that employees of the Justice Center discussed how bored they were while she waited, along with several other people.
She emphasized: “I think that stronger security measures must be implemented in Naucalpan, as the statistics show that we are about to reach the same percentage of feminicides as Ecatepec, State of Mexico”.
She also distanced herself from any activist or demonstration activities at the time being: “I can understand that many people wish to see me as a figurehead, they wish me to send a message. However, and I can assure you it is not out of position of selfishness, I am fully focused in having my daughter’s case resolved first and later I might dedicate my efforts for the good of society”, she concluded: “I am afraid, of course I am afraid, but I trust I’m being given the necessary protection to live quietly within reason. I am personally trying to gather the strength within me to learn to live with this.”