Carmen Rodriguez, the mother of murdered Georgia mom Minelys Rodriguez, a TikTok star and single mother, joined former President Donald Trump on stage Sunday to urge supporters to vote for him as Democrats downplay the kind of migrant crime that killed her daughter.
"She was murdered the last Tuesday – I lost my daughter, but I didn't lose my faith," she told rallygoers at the Atrium Health Amphitheater in Macon, Georgia, while standing alongside her family and the former president. "And I know Donald Trump is the best choice for the USA. And not [just] the best choice – he is the only one we need to save our country."
The younger Rodriguez was last seen at a Walmart in Cornelia, Georgia, on Oct. 22.
State investigators found her remains last Tuesday after they arrested a 24-year-old man on kidnapping charges.
Angel DeJesus Rivera-Sanches is expected to see his charges upgraded to include murder. Law enforcement sources and the Trump campaign say he is an illegal immigrant from Mexico. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
"I have a 25-year-old daughter with a lot of life and somebody stopped her life," Rodriguez said during the rally. "And we have to stop with this and keep going with Donald Trump."
BIDEN-HARRIS OPEN BORDER POLICY FREED ILLEGAL 3 WEEKS BEFORE JOCELYN NUNGARAY MURDER, MOTHER SAYS
Border security has become a major 2024 campaign issue, and mothers of other victims like Minelys Rodriguez have been called to Capitol Hill to testify multiple times in recent weeks, pleading with lawmakers to do something.
Big city police departments have blamed illegals and unvetted asylum seekers for spikes in crime that largely victimize women, ranging from purse and phone snatchings to rape and murder.
Tonight, Patty Morin, the mother of Maryland jogger Rachel Morin, will join Trump on stage at a rally in Pennsylvania.
"We must save American lives by strengthening our borders," she said Monday through her attorney, Randolph Rice. "By supporting President Trump, I know we can prevent other families from experiencing the heartbreak mine has endured."
Minelys Rodriguez was last seen at a Walmart in Cornelia on Oct. 22, and her last known contact was a text message to her fiancé that evening, which he told local media sounded suspicious.
She never made it home, and her family reported her missing the following day.
Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents, state Department of Natural Resources crews and local police discovered Rodriguez's body Tuesday evening, authorities said.
Rodriguez was a U.S. citizen originally from Puerto Rico. Her TikTok account contained a mix of shopping videos and personal stories, including about a past that involved childhood run-ins with the law.
Rivera-Sanches is being held without bail in the Habersham County Detention Center, records show.
Results of an autopsy on Rodriguez were pending.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact GBI.