
Tragedy struck when two Arizona women were killed in an armed attack while traveling in Sonora, Mexico. The victims, identified only as Enedina, 72, and Ubaldina, 82, encountered violence on a stretch of highway known for territorial disputes between criminal organizations. According to the Sonora Attorney General's Office, as reported by Arizona Daily Star, their vehicle was found overturned and ridden with bullets on Federal Highway 2, within proximity to Sonoyta, their city of origin.
12News granted an interview with the son of one of the victims, who remains unidentified for safety reasons. In his statement, he expressed shock and grief over the loss, emphasizing that "My mother and my aunt were taken away violently from us. They were great, loving grandmothers who loved to help their family and their community." The son conveyed his determination to not allow the incident to be dismissed as a mere case of 'wrong place, wrong time,' given that Sonora was home to the victims.
The depth of this tragedy is compounded by the sudden death of a third sister, who passed away from cancer just before the incident. The family now mourns the loss of three beloved members, each of whom played a central role in their community and family structure. The son recounted that his mother was the primary caregiver for her partner, bound to a wheelchair for nineteen years, and had been in good health with plans to visit her granddaughter on the East Coast.
The U.S. State Department, acknowledging one of the victims as a U.S. citizen and the other as a lawful permanent resident, is "closely monitoring the situation," as per Arizona Daily Star. However, the son has notably been left seeking answers, with no new information forthcoming about the investigation into the deaths, according to 12News. "We don't know anything about the investigation. They haven't told us any arrests or any leads," he said.
Following the incident, the community and the family have been left to grapple with a profound sense of vulnerability and injustice. The son insisted that the violence and crime in the area are longstanding issues exacerbated by the war on drugs. Armed with the bitter truth of personal loss, the son called for more effective and collective action from both the United States and Mexico to confront these challenges. Such cooperation, he hopes, could prevent other families from enduring similar agony.
These deaths occur in the context of a larger pattern of violence affecting northern Sonora. Experts have been working to match evidence at the crime scene, including weapons found in a stolen vehicle, to the attack, as per information provided by the Sonora Attorney General’s office and mentioned by Arizona Daily Star. The State Department's current travel advisory underscores the risks in Sonora and restricts State Department employees from driving in the region where the crime occurred.