This archive report was first published on 5 November 2019.
On November 4, 2019, a devastating ambush in Mexico left at least nine members of a Mormon family dead, with six children among the victims.
According to Julian LeBarón, a cousin of the victims, the family was traveling from Sonora to Chihuahua when they were attacked. LeBarón stated that his cousin Rhonita was driving to Phoenix to pick up her husband, who works in North Dakota, when her car broke down.
Gunmen then opened fire on Rhonita's car, killing her and four of her children, including an 11-year-old boy, a 9-year-old girl, and twins less than a year old. Two other cars were also attacked, killing two more women and two children, a 4-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl.
However, several children were rescued, some of whom had hidden by the roadside to escape the attackers. LeBarón expressed the devastating toll of the attack, saying, “Six little kids were killed, and seven made it out alive.”
