Two Arizona sisters shot dead on highway in Mexican state of Sonora; murders linked to criminal group

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Two elderly sisters from Arizona were shot dead while traveling on the Sonoyta-Caborca highway in Sonora, Mexico.

The victims, identified as 72-year-old Uvaldina Curiel Mendoza and her 82-year-old sister, Enedina Curiel, were found in their overturned Nissan Pathfinder with Arizona license plates, as reported by Mexico News Daily.

The Attorney General of Sonora stated that the gunmen responsible for the attack, which took place last week, fled the scene. Authorities report having leads connecting the perpetrators to a criminal group, but no more details were provided. The attackers were reportedly traveling in a stolen Ford-150 pickup truck, armed with AK-47 rifles, ammunition, and ballistic vests.

"Security forces from three levels of government immediately initiated an operation to locate and arrest the criminal group responsible, with the support of specialized air and ground forces," Sonora state prosecutors announced via a post on X.

The sisters, originally from Caborca, were en route to their hometown when they were intercepted by the gunmen. One of the women was a U.S. citizen, while the other was a legal U.S. resident, the State Department confirmed to CBS News. The motive behind the attack appears to be robbery, according to a social media post by José Ortiz Reyes, a former University of Sonora professor and husband to one of the victims.

"Today is the most terrible day in the existence of my family because gunmen, wanting to rob my wife and sister-in-law, killed them on the Sonoyta-Caborca stretch of highway," Ortiz Reyes wrote on Facebook. He currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona.

During a press conference, Sonora Governor Alfonso Durazo confirmed the seizure of the attackers' vehicle and weapons. "We seized the vehicle and the weapons used by the attackers and we have arrest warrants," Durazo stated, though he faced criticism by the Border Report for downplaying the severity of the situation. Durazo urged travelers to exercise caution on highways in Mexico and worldwide.

The Sonoyta-Caborca highway is infamous for its violence and is a known route for migrant trafficking. The U.S. Department of State has listed Sonora as a state to reconsider traveling to since August of last year, citing safety concerns. Local reports indicate that vehicle theft, particularly targeting pick-ups and SUVs, has become increasingly common in northern Sonora.

As of Thursday morning, no arrests have been made in connection with the killings. Authorities continue to investigate the incident.