Collective Fuerzas Unidas Hasta Encontrarles has intensified its search for Lizeth Yoana Henao Orjuela, a Colombian citizen missing since July 3, 2024. She was last seen in Tijuana’s Obrera neighborhood at a time when, according to her family, she was emotionally vulnerable.
Karen Vega, activist and leader of the collective, explained that search efforts are currently focused on the city’s downtown area, where information suggests Lizeth may still be alive and possibly living on the streets.
“She is a foreigner, which makes it very difficult for her family to come here and search on their own. The support we provide comes from deep empathy, because we would have wanted the same for ourselves. That’s why we follow every lead—especially when there is a presumption of life,” Karen said.
Because of these circumstances, the collective has taken on the search in representation of Lizeth’s family, who have not been able to travel to Mexico due to a lack of institutional support. Despite requests made to the Commission for the Search of Missing Persons, the family was not given assistance for the trip, leaving them unable to participate in person.
Following Every Lead
Much of the information the collective has gathered comes through social media and community tips, as well as coordination with the Baja California Attorney General’s Office. These leads suggest Lizeth may be alive. For the collective, each new piece of information is a wave of hope.
“It’s exciting to hear that she may be alive, but it’s not enough to just know that—what we want is to find her and bring peace back to her family,” Karen said.
The group maintains daily contact with Lizeth’s relatives in Colombia, often making video calls during search days so her family can follow the efforts in real time.
A Personal Story Behind the Activism
Karen’s empathy is rooted in her own painful experience. Her sister, Liz Puga, disappeared on July 5, 2020, after surviving an attack in which her car was set on fire with Molotov cocktails. Her last contact with her family was a phone call, during which she described the assault. Liz never made it to a therapy appointment she had scheduled with her mother the following day.
Since then, her family has received no news, and the search has been fraught with difficulty.
“At the beginning, we were walking blindly. We searched on our own, exposing ourselves to all the risks that come with it,” Karen recalled.
Today, Fuerzas Unidas channels that painful experience into helping others. The collective is currently assisting around 30 families, offering both field support in searches and guidance in following up on investigation files.
“We support victims throughout the process of disappearance, always with the respect and compassion they deserve,” Karen concluded.
