For Nansi Cisneros and her family, October 19 is a day filled with emotion. On that date two years ago, her brother Javier was taken by armed men after a bloody struggle in the family's hometown of Tala, Mexico.

He's been missing ever since.

"It destroyed my family, it split my family in half," said Cisneros, who lives in Los Angeles. Her mom, sister and niece – the daughter of her missing brother – remain in Tala, Jalisco engaged in an ongoing search for him.

"I'm also looking for him, but I'm here trying to bring other families [out]," said Cisneros. "I know there are other families here in L.A, here in the U.S., that are also being affected by what's going on there."

So far, she said, she's made contact with about 15 families in the L.A. area who trace missing loved ones to Mexico. Many of the country's disappearances are caught up in drug-related violence and pursuing a case can come with high risks, including threats and intimidation.

The region in Jalisco is an especially violent area with a drug cartel, known as the Nueva Generacíon, vying for power with other armed groups and government military.

Now, despite the deep stigma against speaking out in the midst of powerful drug violence and government corruption, families are starting to name the missing.

Signs of hope, faded

After Southern California Public Radio's Take Two first reported on Javier's case in January 2015, there were signs of hope. The Attorney General's office in Jalisco acknowledged for the first time that an investigation was opened into his disappearance. Then, the family got word that a body was found and forensic testing would be done. But soon the case stalled.

Jalisco's Attorney General's office did not respond to multiple requests for an update on the case, but has confirmed his disappearance in the past.

The case is just one of tens of thousands of missing persons in Mexico. The Administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto acknowledged there are more than 26,000 missing as of 2013. Since then, that number has grown, including the 43 students in Iguala, whose case sparked outcry over the lack of progress on unsolved cases.

A visit to Mexico this month by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights called forcible disappearances a "grave crisis" in the country. It found "critical levels of impunity and inadequate and insufficient attention to the victims and their families."

The crisis is spilling over into Southern California and disrupting families who retain ties to Mexico.

Art of remembrance, act of protest

On a recent Sunday in L.A.'s MacArthur Park, about a dozen people gathered to embroider the names of missing loved ones onto fabric. It's part of a tradition that began in cities across Mexico, called Bordados Por La Paz, where families meet at parks to share updates on cases, exchange news and honor the disappeared.

"There are thousands of people that are already dead or abducted and what we're doing right now is keeping their memory alive," said Gladys del Puerto, who sat at a folding table, putting needle to thread to trace a large "R." She said it was for Ruben Espinoza, the journalist whose killing in July drew international headlines.

Nansi Cisneros showed a picture on her cellphone of the embroidery that her niece in Tala, Mexico, did for her missing brother, Javier. She said the act of embroidering had special significance for her and the other families.

"My mom used to embroider my name on my sweater for school or my initials so I think it's very special," she said. "It reminds me of family."

Mexican Consulate offers assistance

"Most of the time, the family has at least one family member in Mexico, so they can make a report, they can file a report for a missing person," said Patricia Pérez, Consul for Protection at the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles.

Pérez said she oversees a staff of about ten that pursued 122 cases of missing people in 2014 and currently has 50 cases this year.

But the program is limited to Mexican nationals who go missing inside the U.S.

"We don't have jurisdiction in Mexico, just in L.A. County," she said. Asked what kind of assistance families who are searching for loved ones in Mexico could expect, Pérez invited them to visit the Consulate to discuss the case, saying they would not need an appointment to meet with her staff.

"We will see if we can help them. If the person is missing here in the US it will be easier for us because we have this Consular network that can help us, but if not we will try, we will do our best," she said.

'I refuse to allow my brother to disappear twice'

Meanwhile, the families say they will continue to gather in MacArthur Park on the second Sunday of the month to embroider the names and press for action on their cases.

"I can't stay quiet," said Cisneros. "I refuse to allow my brother to disappear twice."

For now, it's up to the families to lead the search, despite the risks, she said.

Her mother called her recently from Mexico to tell her of a possible breakthrough in her brother's case. A couple dozen suspects with ties to the local drug gangs were arrested, she said. Cisneros plans to return to Mexico at the end of the month to see what she can find out.

She will bring with her the pieces of embroidered fabric to Mexico and return with more to Los Angeles. It's a kind of exchange in the continued search for missing loved ones.