GUNMEN riddled a car with bullets in Mexico, killing two American women on Friday morning.... CLICK TO READ THE FULL NEWS HERE▶▶
The bodies of the women, ages 72 and 82, were found in an overturned white Nissan Pathfinder around 10:30 in the morning, said the Sonora attorney general’s office.
Two American women were found dead in a Mexican city with a history of violent crime
The women were found inside an overturned car riddled with bullets in Sonora
The women were residents of Arizona but were natives of the Sonora city of Caborca, according to a press release.
Mexican authorities held a search and found a stolen Ford F-150 believed to be linked to one of the suspects.
It was found abandoned in Quitovac with four guns, a large amount of ammo, and bulletproof vests, said the attorney general’s office.
A motive for the attack hasn’t been revealed, however, Sonora has been the site of cartel violence in recent years.
A spokesperson for the State Department confirmed the deaths and told CBS News that they are closely monitoring the situation.
HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
In June 2023, Gabriel Trujillo, a PhD student from California was found dead inside an SUV in Sonora with seven bullet wounds.
Trujillo, 31, previously went missing after driving across the border in search of a plant called the common buttonbush.
His fiancée, Roxanne Cruz-de Hoyos became concerned when Trujillo suddenly stopped responding to her text messages and flew to Mexico to search for him.
His body was discovered about 62 miles from the Airbnb he was staying at, said police.
“Evidently he was in the wrong place,” his father, Anthony Trujillo, told CBS News.
His family begged him not to go to Sonora, which recorded more than 500 homicides last year, however, Trujillo believed it was crucial to his research.
Trujillo is survived by his father, fiancée, five siblings, six nieces, and a nephew.
Back in May, an American tourist and two Australian brothers were found dead in a 50-foot well near a cliff at Punta San José in Santo Tomás.
Carter Rhoad was reported missing along with Jake and Callum Robinson by the brothers’ mom, Debra after she lost contact with her sons.
The men were on their way back to their Airbnb when they were killed by a group of thieves who set fire to the pickup truck they were driving.
Jesús Gerardo was charged with killing the tourists after allegedly bragging to his girlfriend about the crime.
In 2019, three women and six children, including eight-month-hold twins, were killed by cartel gunmen.
The victims were part of a break-away group that had been associated with the Mormon Church, according to the Sonora prosecutor’s office.
Mexican officials believe the family might have been caught in a battle between two rival gangs, however, their extended relatives believe they were deliberately targeted.
“Three vehicles with women and children in broad daylight. There was no mistaken identity,” said Taylor Langford, the nephew of one of the women killed.
“I felt this was in broad daylight and … no one could have done that not knowing what they were doing.”
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the Sonora attorney general’s office for comment.
An abandoned car was found with police believing it belonged to the suspects
Weapons and bulletproof vests were found inside the vehicle
