Just hours after three mothers and six children were massacred in Mexico, chilling audio messages shared between their relatives paints a picture of the family’s unimaginable anguish as they struggled to understand what happened.
The audio messages, which were obtained by CNN , were sent via the messaging application WhatsApp in a group chat shared among several cousins in the Mormon family.
On Monday, relative Kendra Lee Miller sent a message to her cousins relaying the details of the brutal murders.
“Officers just came and said my mom’s Suburban is blown up,” she reported in the heartbreaking audio. “Dear God, everybody pray! Everyone please pray.”
At that point, there was little else the family members could do but turn to their faith to find solace.
On Monday, three dual US-Mexico mothers left the community of La Mora, traveling with fourteen children shared between them. Their convoy of three SUVs were headed down a rural road in Northern Mexico when they were suddenly ambushed by cartel members who opened fire on the family.
All three mothers and six of their children were killed. At least one of the vehicles caught on fire during the attack.
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In her audio messages, Miller described the devastating deaths of her family members.
“Nita and her children are gone,” Miller said in reference to her sister-in-law, Rhonita Marie Miller. “They’ve been burned inside the vehicle. Uncle Jeffrey verified, counted all five bodies. Their bones are burned… Their bodies are burned to a crisp. Dear God pray for us all.”
30-year-old Rhonita was driving with some of her seven children to Arizona to pick up her husband, Howard.
Joining her was another family member, Dawna Ray Langford, 43, who was driving a second car to visit family in Chihuahua with her nine children. Dawna was shot and killed in the attack, along with two of her children, Trevor Harvey Langford, 11, and Rogan Jay Langford, 2.
In the third SUV was Christina Marie Langford Johnson who had her 7-month-old daughter. Johnson was killed but her daughter miraculously survived, presumably after her car seat was placed on the floor of the vehicle out of range from the gun shots.
Miller relayed the tragic deaths in her WhatsApp messages to her family members.
“Guys, Aunt Dawna and Christina are dead,” she said, later urging her family to “keep praying!”
“They still have 5 kids hiding in the bushes,” she reported. “Devin walked home.”
Dawna Langford’s 13-year-old son, Devin Blake, survived the attacks and hid his other surviving siblings in the bushes before walking 14 miles back to La Mora to get help.
The five children were later rescued, taken to hospital and are reportedly expected to survive.
In total, nine people were killed in the attacks:
Rhonita Miller, 30, Howard Jacob Miller, 12, Krystal Miller, 10, 8-month-old twins Titus and Tiana Miller, Christina Marie Langford Johnson, 29, Dawna Ray Langford, 43, Trevor Langford, 11, and Rogan Langford, 2.
There were more audio messages from other family members but Miller declined to release them, citing privacy concerns.
“I want the world to know that this … is so horrible to us because of our innocent people,” she told CNN .
She continued, “We tried to live good lives and be good citizens and contribute to the communities around us and make the world better and raise our families and be good people. And some people are wanting to paint us in some awful ways right now.”
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help cover the funeral and medical costs.
h/t: CNN