This archive report was first published on 6 November 2019.
‘Innocence Is Shattered:’ A Storied Mormon Family Reels After Mexico Murders ¶
On Monday, a devastating attack in northern Mexico left a Mormon family in shock and grief. The violence, which occurred in the rural town of La Mora, resulted in the deaths of nine people and injured six others, including several children.
The family, which has deep roots in northern Mexico, has been living in the area for generations. They are part of a larger community of fundamentalist Mormons who first settled in the region in the late 19th century. The community has a long history of practicing polygamy, but many of its members have since abandoned this practice.
One of the family members, Aaron Staddon, described the community as a 'great place to raise kids.' However, the family's location in the path of Mexico's gun violence has cost them dearly in the past. In 2009, two family members were kidnapped and murdered by people believed to be drug cartel members.
More recently, the family has been facing new challenges, including the control of gasoline distribution by criminal gangs, which has made farming operations more difficult. Cartels in Mexico seem to be looking for new sources of revenue to make up for losses related to the legalization of marijuana in parts of the United States, Staddon said.
As the family struggles to come to terms with the violence, some members have begun returning to the United States. Others are no longer willing to adhere to the community's strict religious practices, Staddon said. However, many are also wary of the violence that is once again on the rise.
David Langford, 29, who grew up in La Mora but now lives in North Dakota, said his sister, Christina Maria Langford, was one of the women killed in Mexico. Those who committed the assaults were 'ungodly,' he said, 'some of the most wicked men on the face of the planet.'
A relative in Seattle, Amber Bostwick, said she was simply shocked. 'I would hope that this would bring about more safety from elected officials in both Mexico and America,' she said.
Long unaffiliated with the mainstream church, fundamentalist Mormon communities in northern Mexico originated in the late 1880s, when a number of families moved to the states of Chihuahua and Sonora. The settlers who put down stakes included Miles Park Romney, the great-grandfather of Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, and the party's presidential nominee in 2012.
