The massacre of a well-known family of Americans horrifies Mexico: at least 12 dead, all women and children

[Inkriql]

At least 12 members of the LeBarón family, American citizens based in a well-known Mennonite community in northern Mexico, died after an apparent attack by an organized crime group. The activist Julián LeBarón confirmed that on Monday afternoon they were preparing to travel from the municipality of Galeana to the town of Bavispe in the state of Sonora. However, the vehicle that was driven by his wife Rhonita and in which their four children also went suffered an accident, so the other vehicle returned to look for another car.

They returned to the place and found Rhonita's car on fire. Inside were her body and that of her children. It is believed that they were shot and that one of the bullets reached the fuel tank, which caused the vehicle to explode and its subsequent fire. This is how Rhonita María LeBarón died, two six-month-old twins and two children aged 8 and 10.

While trying to understand what had happened, his relatives Dawna Langford Ray and Christina Langford, in addition to 10 children, including Titus Alvin Miller, Tiana Gricel Miller, Krystal Bellaine, Howard Jacob Jr., July and María Rhonita Miller, went to her once attacked by gunmen.

Both the two women identified and at least five more children died in the new attack, while another five would have fled or were kidnapped and their whereabouts are still unknown. There is no confirmed identity of the children who lost their lives in the brutal attack.

Lafe Langford Jr., a relative of the victims, shared a video of the burned car on social networks and said: "We are a community of US citizens living and working between Mexico and the United States, while under attack from the cartels."

"We have been asking US embassies in Mexico all day ... we need this to be shared and the whole world can witness the terrible inhuman and brutal acts that have been committed against us today," he added in his message.

For its part, the Secretariat of Public Safety and Protection (SSPC) reported on its Twitter account that, through the Security Bureau for the Construction of Peace in Sonora, the authorities were mobilized to follow up on complaints by The disappearance of these people. The attorney general, César Peniche Espejel, announced an operation by the State Agency of Investigations (AEI).