The new Netflix series “No One Saw Us Leave” tells a gripping story of a mother’s desperate search for her kidnapped children, but the drama is rooted in real-life events. The limited series is based on the memoir of Tamara Trottner, who, along with her brother, was taken by their own father in the 1960s. After the show’s release on October 15, 2025, many viewers are asking what happened to the real Tamara and where she is today.
The Real-Life Story That Inspired the Series
The five-part Mexican thriller, which began streaming on Netflix in October 2025, is set in the 1960s and follows the brutal story of a father who kidnaps his own children. In the series, Leo Saltzman takes his children, Tamara and Isaac, and travels the world without telling their mother, Valeria, because she had an affair.
This fiction is a direct adaptation of Tamara Trottner’s real life. In 2020, she published her memoir, “Nadie nos vio partir” (“No One Saw Us Leave”), recounting her experience of being kidnapped by her father at the age of five. The opening line of her book powerfully sets the scene: “I have just turned five. This is the last day of my childhood”. She has explained that the event fundamentally shaped her, stating:
“Today, I always say that I am, not in spite of this story, but thanks to this story I am who I am.”
The real-life kidnapping lasted for years. Trottner has shared that for two years, she and her brother were moved across multiple countries, including France, South Africa, and Israel, while their mother, Valeria, worked with private investigators and faced opposition from their powerful family within Mexico’s elite Jewish community.
Where is Tamara Trottner Today?
Today, Tamara Trottner is an author. Her 2020 memoir is the direct source material for the Netflix series, and she participated in publicity for the show, attending its premiere.
She appears to have a positive relationship with her mother, Valeria, whom she has described as an “awesome mum”. In the aftermath of the kidnapping, however, her relationship with her father was severed. Title cards at the end of the Netflix series reveal that Tamara and her brother Isaac did not see their father, Leo, for the next 20 years. The current state of their relationship is not publicly known.
Tamara Trottner keeps her personal life private, but it is believed she is now married. Photographs from earlier this year showed her in Sri Lanka with a man, wearing a ring on her wedding finger.
A Mother’s Agonizing Search
While Tamara’s memoir tells the story from her perspective as a child, the Netflix series focuses on the relentless efforts of her mother, Valeria. After returning home to find her children and husband gone, Valeria discovers their passports are also missing and realizes this was a calculated act.
Shunned by the influential Mexican Jewish community she was part of, Valeria enlists the help of an ex-Mossad agent turned private investigator to track her children across the globe. The series shows her battling not only her husband but also the powerful family dynasty that supports his actions, with the conflict escalating to involve international authorities like the FBI and Interpol.
The real-life search was just as arduous. Reports indicate that Valeria eventually located the children in Israel and won a court order for their return, only for Leo to disappear with them again. The children were ultimately found in Mexico and reunited with their mother after a tip-off from someone who saw them through the bars of a house.
The Lasting Impact of a Childhood Ordeal
The experience of being taken from her mother and moved between countries left a deep mark. Reflecting on those years, Tamara Trottner shared how the journey warped her sense of normalcy:
“For two years, we travelled the worldโฆ and our perception of life, childhood, love, and security was colored by this experience.”
At one point, her father told the children that their mother did not want to see them, even pretending to have phone calls with her where she would refuse to speak to them. Tamara has recalled that she grew angry with her mother, believing her father’s lies, and decided she did not want to see her.
The new Netflix series brings this intense personal story of family conflict, loss, and a mother’s determination to a global audience, showing how the past can shape a person’s entire future.
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