This archive report was first published on 10 November 2019.
On a rural road in Sonora state, Mexico, a senseless attack left nine dual US-Mexican citizens dead, including a 29-year-old mother of three, Christina Langford.
Langford was laid to rest in a simple wooden coffin built by the Mormons, adorned with photos of her with her children and husband, who are still alive. White flowers on the coffin spelled out the word 'mommy.'
The attack occurred on Monday in a hail of bullets, leaving eight children to escape, six of them wounded. A 13-year-old boy helped the younger ones hide, then walked 22 kilometers (14 miles) home to get help.
According to Mexican investigators, the victims could have been mistaken for rivals of a drug trafficking cartel called La Linea. However, relatives, who have campaigned against the criminal groups that have taken over the area, insist the attack was deliberate.
"It was not an attack on us, but there is confusion -- someone is wanting to send a message and they used our family," said Adrian LeBaron, father of one of the murdered women and a leader of this Mormon community.
The three families involved in the shooting -- the Langfords, Millers, and LeBarons -- are part of a large group of US Mormons who emigrated to Mexico in the late 19th century, fleeing persecution for their traditions, including polygamy.
