MEXICO CITY—Kidnappings are on the rise in Mexico. But on one busy avenue, there’s a sign some families are fighting back.

Isabel Wallace’s son was kidnapped three years ago in Mexico City.

Wallace said that when police failed to investigate the crime, she began her own investigation.

She said that she used credit card bills, cell phone records and cell phone antennas to map out the route that her son, Hugo Wallace, took when he disappeared. He was reportedly on a date.

Reports indicate that one of the women in the kidnapping ring lured Hugo Wallace up a set of stairs and down the hallway to a small apartment in Mexico.

It’s now sealed as evidence.

The reports also indicate that once inside the home, Hugo Wallace fought back and he was severely beaten. 

“We received a picture of my brother naked and all beaten up, but my mother and I jumped for joy getting some news,” said Hugo Wallace’s, Claudia.

Hugo’s family believed it was proof of life. They said that the kidnappers demanded a ransom for the businessman but then broke off negotiations.

“She (mother) told me we have to fight and we have to make this public,” said Claudia Wallace.

Hugo Wallace’s family put up billboards and offered rewards. Those efforts paid off.

Tips led to the capture of several suspects including a woman who fled to the U.S.

Mrs. Wallace said she found the alleged kidnapping ring leader by following his lover.

She said that when she found the man, he pulled a gun on her and her brother, who was with her. Wallace’s brother was able to tackle the accused kidnapper.

Police patrolling the area took the suspect into custody. They say he’s a former state police officer.    

While the arrests were good, they did bring some heartbreaking news about Hugo’s fate.

Police say that the woman who lured Hugo Wallace to the apartment building confessed that he died that night from the beating.

“He was a good man. He was the best father. He was a working man. He enjoyed playing football,” said Claudia Wallace.

Hugo’s mother vows her son won’t be just another kidnapping statistic in Mexico.

She says she’s seeking justice and helping other families do the same.

That action, Claudia Wallace says, has made her mother a target.

“In June, somebody tried to shoot her and my 7-year-old was with her,” she said.

These days Isabel Wallace rides in a bulletproof car with police as bodyguards, but she says she’s not backing down.