But years later, there remains plenty of outrage . . . as the families left behind continue to protest, continue to seek justice, and continue to question the official reports of what happened that night.
I guess they’ve become cynics, too.
They also continue to grieve. They’ll always grieve.
Eventually, the remains of three of the students were identified from bones allegedly recovered at a mass grave near the San Juan River in Cocula, about twelve miles southwest of Iguala. But even the facts surrounding that are in question, in doubt.
As of 2016, another 130 bodies have been found outside Iguala.
The only truth everyone can agree on is that the discovery of unnamed dead in unmarked graves is far too common.
The fates of the other forty students are still unknown . . .
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Third time’s a charm, or so they say.
I want to thank the usual suspects: Sara Minnich and Carlie Webber, editor and agent, respectively. Also, everyone at Putnam who makes all this real, as well as Holly Frederick and her great crew, who have worked tirelessly to bring these Big Bend books to a screen near you.
The family: the Scotts and the Martins.
The friends: you know who you are.
The boss: Douglas W. Coleman, who continues to insist I’m the best part-time ASAC and full-time author he’s worked with.
The fellow authors, agents, and cops: far too many to count.
The accomplices: all of you who enjoy these stories and continue to support them.
Anyone and everyone else I’ve forgotten.
And always and forever: Delcia.
* * *
—
Two final things:
I modeled my Librado Rivera and the events that befell Chayo and Neva on the 2014 Iguala disappearances. I leaned hard on Ryan Devereaux’s article “Ghosts of Iguala: How 43 Students Disappeared,” which was published on The Intercept, and on a lengthy, six-part series by Francisco Goldman in The New Yorker that thoroughly chronicled the story of the Ayotzinapa school students, and the complicated and controversial aftermath of the attack. My story is fiction, but the well-researched reporting by Messrs. Devereaux and Goldman lays out all the facts, as well as anyone can know them.
For my next story, I’m going to step away from the Big Bend for a bit. I’m finally heading home to Kentucky and I figure Chris, America, and Danny are due for a welcome break.
Trust me, there’s still plenty in store for them.
Until then, I hope you’ll follow me . . .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J. Todd Scott has been a federal agent with the DEA for more than twenty years, working cases investigating international maritime smuggling and domestic meth labs, and led a multiagency strike force dedicated to attacking Mexican cartel smuggling routes. He has a law degree from George Mason University and is a father of three. A Kentucky native, he now resides in the southwest, which provided the backdrop for his novels of the Big Bend.
What’s next on
your reading list?
Discover your next
great read!
Get personalized book picks and up-to-date news about this author.
Sign up now.
This Side of Night Page 41