9 American Mormons Killed in Mexico Massacre

Relatives say at least nine US citizens—all Mormons—have been killed in a highway massacre believed to be tied to a drug cartel in northern Mexico. Three mothers and 14 children—members of a breakaway Mormon community known as La Mora, some 70 miles south of Douglas, Ariz.—were reportedly ambushed Monday while driving in Bavispe, Sonora state, in what may have been a case of mistaken identity. Relatives say the remains of Rhonita Miller and four of her children, including twin infants, were found in a burned-out SUV on the side of the road, per NBC News. Others in the three-vehicle convoy were "shot at as they tried to flee," reports the BBC. A relative tells CBS News that children who survived the attack were found on a roadside.

NBC names the victims as Christina Marie Langford Johnson, 29; Dawna Langford, 43; Trevor Langford, 11; Rogan Langford, 2; 30-year-old Miller (also named as Rhonita LeBaron); Howard Miller, 12; Krystal Miller, 10; and 8-month-old twins, Titus and Tiana Miller. "It's something that you can't explain, that there are evil people in this world that could do such a thing like that," a woman identifying herself as Dawna Langford's aunt tells CBS. Mexico's National Guard, army, and state police were searching the area on Monday night. A joint statement from the governments of Sonora and neighboring Chihuahua state also noted that additional security forces are in the area as an investigation is conducted. (More Mexico stories.)