Mexican authorities are investigating an attack that left 10 people dead, including a baby girl, at a ranch in the municipality of Tehuitzingo, Puebla on Sunday morning. Officials said the violence started at a rural property about 120 kilometres south of Puebla City, where multiple victims were shot during the incident.
Six of the deceased belonged to the same family, while four others were ranch workers, Puebla Attorney General Idamis Pastor Betancourt said Monday. Two of the workers were teenagers. Among the victims was a baby girl aged one month and 20 days, who was not shot but died after her mother fell on top of her after being struck in the back, Pastor said, according to Mexico News Daily.
Authorities said early findings suggest the attack stemmed from a “family issue” linked to disputes over land ownership. Investigators have identified three men connected to six of the victims as alleged perpetrators. None have been arrested so far.
“We will ensure that this crime does not go unpunished,” Pastor said, adding that the investigation remains ongoing, reports Jornada.
Local media reports identified one of the suspects as Jose Alfredo, the son of the ranch owner. He is alleged to have acted with two other armed men in the killing of his father, mother, and three siblings, including a 15-year-old.
According to reporting by Proceso, Jose Alfredo had previously been placed in a drug treatment facility by his family “due to his addictions” and is believed to have escaped before the attack. The outlet reported that he carried out the killings in “revenge.”
The newspaper 24 Horas said José Alfredo “allegedly harbored family grudges related to addiction issues and personal disputes.”
The ranch where the killings took place has been identified in local reports as “La Marihuana.”
Similar multi-victim family tragedies have taken place in recent years. In 2022, multiple members of a single family were killed in the State of Mexico. In 2019, nine members of an extended family with ties to the United States, including three women and six children, were killed in Sonora in an attack that drew international attention.
Six of the deceased belonged to the same family, while four others were ranch workers, Puebla Attorney General Idamis Pastor Betancourt said Monday. Two of the workers were teenagers. Among the victims was a baby girl aged one month and 20 days, who was not shot but died after her mother fell on top of her after being struck in the back, Pastor said, according to Mexico News Daily.
Authorities said early findings suggest the attack stemmed from a “family issue” linked to disputes over land ownership. Investigators have identified three men connected to six of the victims as alleged perpetrators. None have been arrested so far.
“We will ensure that this crime does not go unpunished,” Pastor said, adding that the investigation remains ongoing, reports Jornada.
Local media reports identified one of the suspects as Jose Alfredo, the son of the ranch owner. He is alleged to have acted with two other armed men in the killing of his father, mother, and three siblings, including a 15-year-old.
According to reporting by Proceso, Jose Alfredo had previously been placed in a drug treatment facility by his family “due to his addictions” and is believed to have escaped before the attack. The outlet reported that he carried out the killings in “revenge.”
The newspaper 24 Horas said José Alfredo “allegedly harbored family grudges related to addiction issues and personal disputes.”
The ranch where the killings took place has been identified in local reports as “La Marihuana.”
Similar multi-victim family tragedies have taken place in recent years. In 2022, multiple members of a single family were killed in the State of Mexico. In 2019, nine members of an extended family with ties to the United States, including three women and six children, were killed in Sonora in an attack that drew international attention.
