It's been a decade since 43 students disappeared in Mexico. Their parents still fight for answers

TIXTLA, México (AP) — Clemente Rodríguez has been documenting the long search for his missing son with tattoos.

First, it was an ink drawing of a turtle — a symbol of 19-year-old Christian Rodríguez's school — with a smaller turtle on its shell. Then, an image of Mexico's patron saint, the Virgin of Guadalupe, accompanied by the number 43. Later, a tiger for strength and a dove for hope.

“How else is my son going to know that I have been looking for him?” asked Rodríguez. To the heartbroken father, the body art is evidence that he never stopped searching — proof he could perhaps one day show to his boy.

On Sept. 26, 2014, Christian Rodríguez, a tall boy who loved to folk dance and had just enrolled in a teachers college in the southern state of Guerrero, disappeared along with 42 classmates. Every year since, on the 26th of each month, Clemente Rodríguez, his wife, Luz María Telumbre, and other families meet at the Rural Normal School at Ayotzinapa and take a long bus ride to the capital, Mexico City, to demand answers.

They will do so again next week, on the 10th anniversary of their sons’ disappearance.

“It is hard, very hard,” Clemente Rodríguez said.

Rodríguez and the other parents are not alone. The 43 students are among more than 115,000 people still reported as missing in Mexico, a reflection of numerous unresolved crimes in a country where human rights activists say violence, corruption and impunity have long been the norm.

Over the years, authorities have offered different explanations. The previous administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto said that the students were attacked by security forces linked to a local drug cartel, and that the bodies were then turned over to organized crime figures, who burned their bodies in a dump and threw their ashes in a river. A bone fragment of one of the students was later found in the river.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's administration confirmed the source of the attack. But the current justice department — along with the Interamerican Commission on Human Rights and a Truth Commission formed specifically to investigate the students’ disappearance — refuted the story about the incineration of the bodies in a dump. They accused top former officials of planting the bone fragment in the river to suit their narrative. They also unearthed clues in a different location, including bone fragments from one of Christian's feet.

But the families still don't have any solid answers about what happened to the students. For his part, Clemente Rodríguez is far from convinced that his son is dead.

Not long after the students disappeared, parents took matters into their own hands, charging into remote, often gang-controlled mountain towns to search for their children. They encountered others who had been displaced by violence. Fear was everywhere.

“When I left the house, I never knew if I would come back alive,” Rodríguez said.

During the search, Christina Bautista, the 49-year-old mother of missing student Benjamin Ascencio, says strangers told her they'd been searching for a son for three years or a daughter for five. She had thought it would be a matter of weeks.

“I couldn’t take it, I took off running,” she said. “How could there be so many disappeared?”

Dozens of bodies were found, but not those of their children.

A decade of fighting to keep the case alive has turned the parents’ lives inside out. Before his son’s disappearance, Rodríguez sold jugs of water from the back of his pickup and tended a small menagerie of animals in the town of Tixtla, not far from the school. Telumbre sold handmade tortillas cooked over a wood fire.

When the students vanished, however, they dropped everything. Parents sold or abandoned their animals, left fields untended and entrusted grandparents with the care of other children.

Rodríguez, 56, has since managed to partially reassemble his clutch of livestock and has planted some corn on the family's plot of land. The family's main income, however, comes from homemade crafts sold on trips to Mexico City: mats woven from reeds; bottles of an uncle's locally brewed mezcal decorated with twine and colorful tiger faces; and cloth napkins embroidered by Telumbre.

Sometimes the stocky, soft-spoken Rodríguez visits his land to think or to release his anger and sadness. “I start to cry, let it all go,” he said.

Parents also find solace at the Rural Normal School at Ayotzinapa.

The school, which trains students to teach in poor remote villages, is part of a network of rural educational facilities with a long history of radical activism. School walls painted with slogans demanding justice for the missing students also display murals honoring Che Guevara and Karl Marx.

For the poorest families, Ayotzinapa offers a way out: Students receive free room, board and an education. In exchange, they work.

The atmosphere has militaristic undertones: New students’ heads are shaved and the first year is about discipline and survival. They are tasked with tending cattle, planting fields and commandeering buses to drive to protests in the capital. The students who disappeared in 2014 were abducted from five buses they had taken over in the city of Iguala, 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the school.

Parents arrived at Ayotzinapa little by little from villages deep in the mountains. They gathered on the school’s basketball court, a concrete pad under a pavilion where 43 chairs still hold photos of each of the missing students.

In the years since, a certain codependency has developed. The school's fight for justice is fueled by the parents' grief and anger. The school's students, meanwhile, “are our strong arm,” Bautista says. “Here is where the movement started.”

Students treat the parents respectfully and affectionately, greeting them as “aunt” or “uncle” as they pass through the guarded gates.

In late August, Rodríguez and other parents met for the last time with López Obrador, who leaves office at the end of this month.

The exchange was a grave disappointment.

“Right now, this administration is just like that of Enrique Peña Nieto,” Rodríguez said. “He’s tried to mock us” by hiding information, protecting the Army and insulting the families' lawyers, he said.

López Obrador continues to insist that his government has done its best to find answers. He cites dozens of arrests, including that of a former attorney general charged with obstructing justice. He has downplayed the role of the military, however. Years ago, López Obrador declared the students’ abduction a “state crime,” pointing to the involvement of local, state and federal authorities, including the Army.

The families met in July with López Obrador’s successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, who will take office Oct. 1, but she made no promises or commitments.

After the August meeting, Rodríguez posed for a portrait in the National Palace, his gaze firm and his fist raised.

Like other parents, he vows to keep fighting.

“During these 10 years, we have learned a lot about obfuscation ... lies,” Rodríguez said. Top military and government authorities “have the answers,” he added.

“They can reveal them."

Luz María Telumbre, whose son Christian is one of 43 missing students from the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School, protests for justice in the 10-year case in Mexico City, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Jesus Castro Rafaela, a first-year student at the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School protests for justice in the 10-year case of 43 missing classmates, in Mexico City, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Indigenous women protest for justice in the 10-year case of 43 missing students from the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School in Mexico City, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Posters of the 43 missing students from the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School hang on the roadside, seen from the bus of their families who are traveling from Tixtla, Guerrero state, to the capital to protest for justice 10 years since their disappearance, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Christian Rodríguez's sister Carmen busses to the capital to protest for justice in the 10-year case of 43 missing students, including her brother, after departing Tixtla, Guerrero state, Mexico, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. The missing students were all from the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

First-year students from the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School bus from Tixtla, Guerrero state, to the capital to protest for justice in the 10-year case of their 43 missing classmates, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

A religious altar that reads in Spanish "We are missing 43!" stands inside the home of Cristina Bautista in Tixtla, Guerrero state, Mexico, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. Bautista is the mother of Benjamin Ascencio, one of the 43 missing students from the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Cristina Bautista, whose son Benjamin Ascencio is one of 43 missing students from the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School who went missing 10 years prior, embroiders her son's name at home in Tixtla, Guerrero state, Mexico, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Mayrani Ascencio, whose brother Benjamin is one of 43 missing students from the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School stands at home in Tixtla, Guerrero state, Mexico, late Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Clemente Rodriguez, whose son Christian is one of 43 missing students from the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School attends his corn crop in Tixtla, Guerrero state, Mexico, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Clemente Rodríguez and Luz María Telumbre, whose son Christian is one of 43 missing students from the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School bottle mezcal at home in Tixtla, Guerrero state, Mexico, to sell in the capital, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

A student walks at the dormitory of the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero state, Mexico, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

A student plays with a dog outside his dormitory at the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero state, Mexico, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Erick de la Cruz jokes around on the first day of class at the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero state, Mexico, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

First-year students line up before starting cleanup work at the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero state, Mexico, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

A student walks on the campus of the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero state, Mexico, late Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

First-year students gather in the dining hall at the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero state, Mexico, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Murals and the number 43 decorate the dormitory area at the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School, the teachers' college from where 43 students went missing 10 years ago, in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero state, Mexico, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Students cut each other's hair at the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero state, Mexico, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Political posters and stickers hang inside the print shop at the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero state, Mexico, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

First-year students at the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School sweep the parking lot of their school in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero state, Mexico, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

A mural covers the dormitories of the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero state, Mexico, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Students leave the dormitory area of the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero state, Mexico, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

First-year student Jesus Castro Rafaela walks inside the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School where a sign memorializes Julio Cesar Mondragon Fontes, a student who died on the night that 43 fellow students went missing, in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero state, Mexico, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

First-year students walk by a mural featuring some of their 43 missing classmates at the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero state, Mexico, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Students check their schedules on the first day of classes at the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero, state, Mexico, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Students' clothes hang to dry in a field at the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero state, Mexico, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

The entrance of the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School features a turtle and the words "We want the 43," referring to the number of students who went missing 10 years ago, in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero state, Mexico, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. Ayotzinapa means "The place of the turtles" in the Nahuatl Indigenous language. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

The Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School stands in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero state, Mexico, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Photos of 43 students who have been missing for 10 years cover the stairs at their former Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero state, Mexico, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Ukrainian athletes talked about an “unpleasant” Paralympics in Milan Cortina because of the return of the Russian flag and anthem.

The flag flew at the Paralympics for the first time since the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, and the anthem was played for the first time at a major global sporting event since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Ukraine boycotted the opening ceremony last week and was set to boycott the closing ceremony on Sunday as well.

Athletes from both countries have been expressing how proud they are of representing their nations during the ongoing war.

On Saturday, Ukraine and Russian teams competed against each other in a Para cross-country mixed relay race, with Ukraine earning a silver medal and Russia finishing in sixth place.

“As you know, the relay is about the unity of the team, and that was painful and unpleasant,” Ukrainian skier Iryna Bui told The Associated Press through a translator in a telephone interview. “So we are happy that today we were on the podium and that we are proving our strength.”

Bui did not compete in that relay but won a silver medal in the women's Para biathlon sprint pursuit standing on Friday. She will also compete in the 20-kilometer interval start on Sunday, the final day of the Milan Cortina Games.

She said it was “shocking” and “awful” to see the Russian flag and anthem at the Games.

“It is horrible indeed to see this, this flag that is soaked in blood of Ukrainians, and they are proud of it," she said. "And I ask myself what is happening in this world now.”

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine four years ago ignited Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II, causing suffering for civilians and harrowing ordeals for soldiers while rewriting the post-Cold War security order. The fighting has entered its fifth year, with the number of casualties — people killed, wounded of missing — estimated in the millions combining both sides.

A push for peace has not progressed amid the difficulty of ending reconciling key differences such as the future of Russian-occupied Ukrainian land and postwar security for Ukraine.

“We constantly read the news, and we stay in touch with our families and worry about Ukraine,” Bui said. "We have been living under stress for four years and as athletes, we understand that we represent our country on the international stage, and now it is very important to help Ukraine with our results and our victories.

“Our goal is to fight in every race and the team is highly motivated,” she said. “We want to bring Ukrainians victories and give them something positive in their life.”

Russian athletes are back competing under their own flag in the Winter Paralympics after years of having to do so as neutral athletes because of the country’s doping violations and military conflicts.

The return of the Russian flag and anthem has signaled a possible full-fledged return to the Olympic circles ahead of the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

The International Paralympic Committee gave wildcard entries to Russian athletes, a decision that upset Ukraine and a few other nations that boycotted the opening ceremony last week. Athletes from Russia’s close ally Belarus also were allowed to compete under wildcard entries.

“There is still a war in Ukraine," Hryhorii Vovchynskii, captain of the skiing and biathlon team, told the AP. "I think a country who invades Ukraine and start a war with Ukraine can’t be competing with its athletes.”

Vovchynskii, who is Bui's wife and won a silver medal in Para biathlon at Milan Cortina, said he doesn't pay attention to the Russians' presence.

“It felt like they were not there, they didn't exist,” he said through a translator.

Vovchynskii said Ukrainians were receiving "a lot of support" from athletes from other countries at Milan Cortina.

A pair of German athletes appeared to stage a protest in the podium ceremony when Russia won a gold this week.

Ukraine’s Paralympic committee a few days ago accused local organizers and the International Paralympic Committee of subjecting Ukrainian athletes and coaches to “systematic pressure” at the Games. Organizers defended their actions.

Ahead of the final day of Milan Cortina on Sunday, Russia was fifth in the medals table with five golds, while Ukraine was seventh with three golds.

Some of the Russian athletes tried to avoid talking too much about politics but didn't hide their pride about competing under their own flag and hearing their national anthem on the podium.

Para alpine skier Varvara Voronchikhina said it was “really special” to see the Russian flag fly at the Paralympics again.

Para snowboarder Filipp Shebbo said it was “perfect” for Russians.

“A good moment for Russia, for the athletes," he said. "Hopefully this will continue. We had been waiting for this for a long time.”

AP Winter Paralympics: https://apnews.com/hub/paralympic-games

Varvara Voronchikhina, of Russia, poses on the podium after winning the gold medal in the alpine skiing women's giant slalom standing at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A volunteer holds the Ukrainian flag to take part in the opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, in Verona, Italy, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)