Earlier quoted context omitted.
Her cousins didn't help setup the kidnapping - that was the boy in the parallel story.
I find this style of storytelling dizzying. As a non-native english user, the interleaving of narrative confuses me. Is it a desired style of journaling?
Writing about both murders in this article made sense, IMHO, even if the transitions between narratives weren't always completely clear. Part of the reporter's angle was that Mrs. Rodríguez's highly publicized fight impacted how people reacted to Luciano's kidnapping, for better or worse.