<div><br />

</div>

<div>Kidnapped by the Cartel. Hunted by 25 Men. Stripped of Everything. Still in Hiding.

My name is Derek Broes, known online as @WillingWitness. I’m a builder, truth-teller, and fighter. But right now, I’m fighting for my life.

I was kidnapped by the cartel, hunted by 25 armed men, including individuals wearing fake police uniforms, and robbed of every possession I owned.
They are still pursuing me.
And I need your help to escape, survive, and rebuild.

⸻

It Started With a Deal. It Turned Into a Death Sentence.

I delivered over $46,000 worth of AI and Web3 automation systems for Edrick Villagrán, a dentist in Los Algodones, Mexico.

But Edrick isn’t just a dentist.

He and his family run a multi-business cartel front—posing as merchants, dentists, and business owners, while operating a violent criminal enterprise beneath the surface.

When I asked to be paid, they refused.
When I offered to settle for just $4,700—my hard costs—they still refused.

Instead, they sent men with guns.

⸻

25 Armed Men. Fake Police. Three Nights of Terror.

After the first shooting incident (which was caught on video and posted on my Twitter: @WillingWitness), they escalated.

They sent a 25-man hit squad.
Some wore police uniforms, but they weren’t real cops. Down here, many “police” in smaller towns are just hired private security—thugs with badges, loyal to whoever pays them.

We were under siege for three straight nights, hiding in our condo, setting up booby traps, taking shifts to sleep. It was pure survival.

Then they got me.

⸻

I Was Kidnapped by Cartel Men and Dumped in the Desert

They took me.
Drove me 90 minutes into cartel territory, dumped me in a field, and left me to disappear.

But I escaped.

When I returned, everything was gone:
	•	My car (later bought back—but now undriveable)
	•	Laptops, phones, hard drives, tech—gone
	•	All my partner’s possessions, even a roommate’s stored items—gone
	•	I was left with just a T-shirt, shorts, flip-flops, and a hat

⸻

We Escaped the City—but We’re Still Not Safe

We got out of Los Algodones. But we’re still within reach.
They are looking for me.
They know I spoke up.
They saw the video. They heard the podcast. And they’re pissed.

If they find out where I am—we’re dead.

We’ve already picked a secure relocation spot. But we need your help to get there—fast.

⸻

Here’s What I’m Asking For

✅ A reliable vehicle to escape
✅ Rent for a secure, undisclosed location
✅ Replacement gear so I can work again
✅ Emergency living supplies to survive

Once safe, I can finish launching the Web3 projects I’ve spent years building—tools that will create real impact and allow me to never ask for help like this again.

⸻

This Isn’t Just About Me

The Villagrán family isn’t one man. They operate a network of cartel-linked businesses across Los Algodones. They wear smiles in daylight—and send killers by night.

They’re protected.
They’re powerful.
And they’re afraid of exposure.

I survived.
I’m speaking out.
And now I need your help to live long enough to finish this mission.

⸻

Here’s What You Can Do

 Donate anything you can—$5, $20, it all helps
 Share this page—on social, in DMs, in conversations
 Watch the shooting video on Twitter
 Listen to the podcast (linked below)
 See the faces behind the threats—photos of Edrick are attached

⸻

This isn’t drama.
This isn’t exaggeration.
This is real-time survival against cartel violence.

Thank you for standing with me.
Thank you for helping me escape.
Thank you for helping me rebuild.

—Derek Broes
@WillingWitness<br />
</div>

Anonymous

john thornton

Marc C

Donavan Gerken

Paul Brendle

Jose DeCastro

Life or Death in Mexico – Every Dollar Counts

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

currencyCode

Money Box Donation List Prompt Experiment Audience

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

Eligible for Profile Share Badge

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

NPO upsell education category

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

NPO recommendations prod

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

isEligibleForProfileBadge

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

categoryGroup

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.3.0 and above

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

NPO upsell animals category

NPO upsell disaster relief category

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

NPO upsell essential needs category

NPO upsell medical category

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

NPO upsell cancer category

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Life or Death in Mexico – Every Dollar Counts

Still $4,174 to go. Help us build momentum.