Nelson Vargas Basáñez, the former head of Mexico's national sports commission, took to the public in heart-wrenching fashion this week the nightmare of losing a child to kidnappers. Vargas held a teary press conference pleading for the authorities to solve the case of his missing daughter Silvia and calling for all of Mexican society to help in his search. Photographs of the man grimacing before images of his daughter were plastered all over the front pages of the dailies on Thursday. The family has a webpage for Silvia and has rented a billboard on Reforma to deliver their message.
Watch video of the press conference at El Universal. Silvia Vargas, 18, was kidnapped from her 2001 Ford Escape on her way to school on the morning of September 10, 2007. Her parents re-parked the car this week on the spot where it was found a year ago in the hopes that new witnesses will come forward.
Meanwhile, the papers are awash with daily updates on the scandal of federal police agents suspected of being involved in the kidnapping and murder of 14-year-old Fernando Marti.
* Previously, "Fall-out from the Fernando Marti case: 'Let them rot!'"
