On November 4, three women and six children, who were part of breakaway Mormon communities that settled in Mexico decades ago, were killed by an unidentified armed group in a dirt road between the states of Chihuahua and Sonora .
Mormon
communities started to settle in Mexico in the late 1800s, when the Utah -based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints banned polygamy .
The LeBarons settled in Mexico in the early 20th century and around 5,000 people are members of their community.
Although Mexican authorities have yet to solve the case, it is rumored that the Sinaloa and Juárez could be behind the attacks against the Mormon families .
However, the massacre could test the breakaway Mormon families ’ attachment to their communities in Mexico, which have been a safe haven for a way of life shunned by the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints .
On Friday, Rhonita Miller 's father-in-law, Kenny Miller , said the cartels were stronger than the government in some areas, comparing the situation to conflicts in the Middle East: “They talk about terrorism in Iraq and Iran, those aren’t our countries, this is our country. We’ve got terrorists here.”
Adrian LeBarón
, the father of Rhonita Miller LeBarón , said his son-in-law Howard Miller is now heading to North Dakota with his surviving children to be with his parents and to work in the state after his wife was killed in Mexico .
Several other families have decided to permanently leave their communities in Mexico and settle in the U.S.
The FBI will get involved
On Sunday, the Mexican government invited the FBI to participate in the investigation on the attacks against the Mexican-American Mormons , nevertheless, the FBI has to ensure that its agents are not armed.
Later, in a statement, the FBI said it would assist in the investigation , adding that “The FBI remains committed to working alongside our international partners to help bring justice to the perpetrators of this heinous act of violence .”
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