Father of Missing Ayotzinapa Student Looking For Volunteers to Honor Son at NYC Marathon

On Sunday, Antonio Tizapa will run the New York City Marathon in honor of his son, Jorge Antonio Tizapa, one of the 43 Ayotzinapa students kidnapped in September 2014. Through the marathon, Antonio hopes to raise awareness of the tragic crime that still has Mexico reeling. More than a year and several investigations later, the parents of the missing 43 are not any closer to finding out what happened to their children.

Antonio is looking for at least 130 volunteers to hold up pictures of the 42 students who have yet to be identified at roughly every half mile (or every 1 km for 42 kms). Check out the Facebook message below to learn more about the story and to contact him.

It was 14 years ago that Antonio moved to New York from Tixtla, so that he could financially support his wife and three children. Jorge was only 5 at the time, and though it was difficult to be away from his family, technology kept them close. Antonio, who was also training for a marathon last year, would send Jorge pictures. “I like to run, so I sent him pictures, telling him: Son, I’m going to run this 5-mile section,” he told El Diario. “Back then there was a marathon coming up. I told him: ‘When I’m done, I will send you pictures.’”

The last time he spoke to his son was three days before the mass kidnappings in Iguala. On September 26, he sent his son a message and did not get a response. He learned about what happened through his daughter.