David Hartley and his wife, Tiffany, had used personal watercraft on Falcon Lake just a month before the tragic day in September 2010 when investigators believe they wandered into the middle of a drug trade. David was shot and killed by suspected Mexican drug pirates and Tiffany escaped, according to her account.
What happened on Falcon Lake? —
David Hartley and his wife, Tiffany, had used personal watercraft on Falcon Lake just a month before the tragic day in September 2010 when investigators believe they wandered into the middle of a drug trade. David was shot and killed by suspected Mexican drug pirates and Tiffany escaped, according to her account.
Courtesy Tiffany Hartley
Salvador Alfonso Martinez Escobedo, accused of being a regional leader of the Zetas drug cartel, has been detained and was presented to the media Monday, October 8. He is suspected in Hartley's death and the 2010 massacre of 72 migrants.
What happened on Falcon Lake? —
Salvador Alfonso Martinez Escobedo, accused of being a regional leader of the Zetas drug cartel, has been detained and was presented to the media Monday, October 8. He is suspected in Hartley's death and the 2010 massacre of 72 migrants.
Reuters/Landov
Shortly after the incident dominated the headlines, suspicion fell on Tiffany Hartley and her account of what happened to her husband of eight years. There were no other witnesses. The skepticism was dampened after the lead Mexican investigator was killed shortly after Hartley's death.
What happened on Falcon Lake? —
Shortly after the incident dominated the headlines, suspicion fell on Tiffany Hartley and her account of what happened to her husband of eight years. There were no other witnesses. The skepticism was dampened after the lead Mexican investigator was killed shortly after Hartley's death.
Courtesy Van Buren Photography
The couple married in 2002, when they were both 21. They led an adventurous life that included hot-air balloon rides, dog sledding, parasailing and scuba diving. They also joined their church group on missions to Kenya and Juarez, Mexico.
What happened on Falcon Lake? —
The couple married in 2002, when they were both 21. They led an adventurous life that included hot-air balloon rides, dog sledding, parasailing and scuba diving. They also joined their church group on missions to Kenya and Juarez, Mexico.
Courtesy Tiffany Hartley
The Hartleys had a home, pictured here, in Reynosa, Mexico, across the Rio Grande from McAllen, Texas, on the state's southeastern tip. The Hartleys moved there in 2006 after David's company offered him a job.
What happened on Falcon Lake? —
The Hartleys had a home, pictured here, in Reynosa, Mexico, across the Rio Grande from McAllen, Texas, on the state's southeastern tip. The Hartleys moved there in 2006 after David's company offered him a job.
Courtesy Tiffany Hartley
After her husband's death, Tiffany became known as the "pirate lake" widow. It is a role she now intends to use to draw attention to other victims of drug cartel violence along the border. She believes that her husband was a victim "of terrorism, of politics and the way of life in Mexico."
What happened on Falcon Lake? —
After her husband's death, Tiffany became known as the "pirate lake" widow. It is a role she now intends to use to draw attention to other victims of drug cartel violence along the border. She believes that her husband was a victim "of terrorism, of politics and the way of life in Mexico."
Courtesy Tiffany Hartley