Last night, I gently kissed my twin daughters goodnight, a ritual I cherish. After kissing them, I silently pray for their safety as they sleep. Sometimes, if I remember before they drift off, we gather around their dreamcatcher, asking for a night free from monsters. These moments are so precious that my heart feels it might burst. I can’t fathom the pain of losing one of them — or any of my three children — for any reason.
When I first encountered the story of Maya and her daughter, Lila, my heart shattered for their family, and for the countless others who will never again have their loved ones gathered around the dinner table. Maya’s experience is one no parent should ever endure: her daughter, Lila, was kidnapped and murdered by real-life monsters associated with the Mexican cartel.
Tragically, the plight of the Thompson family is not isolated to Mexico. According to the Global Missing Kids organization, over 460,000 children are missing in the United States alone. That’s 460,000 families grappling with the agonizing uncertainty of whether their child will ever return home. With podcasts like In the Dark showcasing the real-life experiences of grieving parents and communities living in fear, we gain a clearer understanding of the struggles faced by families around the world: the heart-wrenching experience of losing a child who may never come back … or, if they do, they will be irrevocably changed.
On a bright day, January 23, 2012, 20-year-old Lila Thompson was abducted while returning home from her mother’s small apparel shop in San Fernando, Mexico. As she attempted to merge into traffic, armed men cornered her vehicle, jumped in, and drove off — taking Lila with them. She was never seen alive again.
In the ensuing weeks and years, multiple ransom demands were made, with money being dropped off at various locations, often far from the Thompson home — $2000 here, $500 there — all with the faint hope that Lila would be returned alive. However, in 2014, some of Lila’s remains and belongings were discovered scattered in an open field among other missing persons at an abandoned ranch in Mexico.
The confession of an 18-year-old gang member named Carlos did not bring Maya any relief. Her daughter would never come back, a harsh reality confirmed when Lila’s femur was found on that tragic day. Maya walked that ranch with law enforcement, who were hesitant to confront the Los Zetas cartel — whether out of fear or corruption, we may never know. Regardless, Maya decided to take matters into her own hands.
Since the 1980s, Mexican cartels have instilled fear, silencing communities through torture, murder, drug trafficking within Mexico, and smuggling into the U.S. Four major cartels control regions across Mexico: Sinaloa in the northwest, Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) in western Tierra Caliente, Gulf Cartel, and Los Zetas in the northeast. The group responsible for Lila’s kidnapping is notorious for their extreme violence, known for torturing and decapitating their victims. In 2012, Los Zetas dethroned the Sinaloa cartel, becoming the largest drug gang, exerting control over more than half of Mexico’s states — including San Fernando, where Maya and her family lived. Over time, Los Zetas expanded into human trafficking and cigarette smuggling. Despite suffering setbacks from the death of a leader in a shootout, the cartel remains one of the most violent criminal organizations in Mexico.
Despite the very real danger they posed, Maya was resolute in her quest for justice for her child’s death. When her attempts to seek proper action against cartel members through the police were thwarted, she took matters into her own hands.
Between 2012 and 2017, Maya tirelessly pursued those responsible for the abduction, torture, and murder of her beloved daughter Lila. Using her investigative skills and conducting solitary stakeouts, she led police to the ranch where her daughter’s remains lay undiscovered for two years. She employed disguises and subterfuge to engage with the families of gang members, gathering seemingly innocuous information about their backgrounds and associates, all of which helped her track them down. Over the course of five years, she brought ten suspects to the police’s attention.
Her resourcefulness was remarkable, but her determination stemmed from the fierce love of a mother seeking justice. Maya was a mother who could not rest until she uncovered the identities of her daughter’s killers and ensured they faced some form of accountability. She confronted some of the most dangerous members of the Los Zetas cartel, armed with nothing more than a small pistol tucked into her coat pocket and a relentless will that would not rest until Lila’s abductors were apprehended.
However, cartels are notorious for silencing anyone who challenges them; on Mother’s Day in 2017, Maya was tragically shot and killed outside her home.
Maya’s legacy lives on in what she accomplished for Lila, but also for other parents and families victimized by the cartels. She founded a group of parents with missing children known as The San Fernando Collective for the Disappeared, a movement that continues today.
One of the most devastating feelings a parent can experience is the helplessness that comes with protecting their children, and this must have been the agony that Maya felt when she sought help from the police. We all have the same fierce protectiveness for our children that Maya had for Lila. Let us hope we never have to summon it in the same manner that Maya did.
While I find inspiration in Maya’s story, I am also filled with profound sadness. No one should have to endure such a nightmare. As I kiss my children goodnight, I will pray that the only monsters they encounter are those of their imagination, not the very real threats that exist in our world.
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Summary:
Maya Thompson’s heartbreaking journey began when her daughter, Lila, was kidnapped by cartel members. After years of pursuing justice herself due to police inaction, she tracked down those responsible, ultimately leading to tragic consequences for herself. Her legacy continues through a collective she founded, supporting families affected by similar tragedies.