“Frany is happy and likes to help people,” says mother of missing artist in Jalisco

Frany Arteaga, 35, has an easy smile and an energy that, according to her mother, lights up any space. A visual artist, visual arts teacher, and creator of pieces ranging from paintings to handmade tables, Frany is considered by those who know her to be cheerful, sociable, and always willing to help.

“She’s happy, she likes to draw, teach classes, and help people. She’s very sociable and respectful; she’s my support,” says her mother, María Dolores Mendoza, who has been searching for her since August 27, when the artist was deprived of her liberty by armed men in a Guadalajara gallery.

The last time María Dolores saw Frany was that Saturday morning, before leaving for work.

“I leave first, and then she leaves later. As I was leaving, I told her: ‘My daughter, I’m leaving now. When you leave, lock up tight.’ That was the last time I saw her,” she recalls with anguish.
That night, the wait turned into anxiety.

“When it was 10:00, she was supposed to arrive at 10:30, and it started raining heavily, I sent her a text and said: ‘Daughter, be careful.’ I fell asleep, but around 1:00, I woke up and saw that she hadn’t answered. I called her, but she didn’t answer. Afterward, everything went straight to voicemail,” she recounts.

How did they “snatch” Frany?

María Dolores didn’t immediately know what had happened.

“I knew where my daughter worked, but not the exact location of the gallery; it was someone else, the one who supplied them with stretcher bars for the paintings, who gave me the address, and that’s how I was able to tell the police.”

That day, Frany was at Casa Natalia, located at 189 Corregidora Street in the Revolución neighborhood, near the center of Guadalajara. There she taught classes and developed her creativity.

Suddenly, a group of men arrived directly at the gallery, tied up those outside, and entered the building to take her and others away.

Some neighbors heard the commotion: “They said they heard screams from men and a woman, the woman’s screams were louder,” says María Dolores.