The life path of Jaqueline Rivera—a designer and mother of two—changed in February 2018 when Camilo Rodríguez took the life of her daughter, Tamara Rivera (then just 18), and fled from the authorities. On the day of her daughter’s funeral, Jaqueline vowed not to rest until she found the man who killed her and held him accountable for his crime; she also promised herself she would do so within a year.
It was no easy task; the man seemed to have vanished into thin air. Yet, despite not knowing his whereabouts, she refused to give up. She spent months tracking him down by monitoring social media posts, speaking with people who had seen him, and gathering information about his new lifestyle. She succeeded: in January 2019, thanks to the investigative work she carried out—acting without formal training but driven by the power of a mother’s love—she led authorities to his arrest in another country.
“She was very cheerful, incredibly spontaneous—the kind of person who could solve anything; she’d say, ‘I can do it, I’ll handle it.’ That energetic young woman dreamed of learning many languages and traveling the world.” This is how Jaqueline remembers her daughter Tamara—or “Tammy”—whose dreams were cut short just after turning 18, when the man she had been in a turbulent relationship with murdered her at her home in Cali.
The perpetrator was Camilo Rodríguez, a man six years Tamara’s senior who worked as an Uber driver in the city; he had won the young woman’s trust enough to begin a romantic relationship. When Tamara introduced him to her mother, Jaqueline felt uneasy about him—something unusual, given that she claims, “I don’t dislike anyone.” Nevertheless, her reservations didn’t stop the relationship from continuing, though four months later, she noticed something was wrong with her daughter.
Jaqueline Rivera confirmed her suspicions that Camilo was abusing Tamara, so she took her to file a formal complaint. Despite the legal proceedings that were initiated, Tamara decided to go back to him, and eventually, the beatings resumed; in total, he was sued three times for assault and gender-based violence. Camilo not only abused and manipulated Tamara—who felt unable to leave the relationship—but also called Jaqueline to threaten her for having reported him.
