An American couple was executed while on vacation in the western Mexican state of Michoacán on Wednesday.
Rafael Cardona, aged 53, and his wife Gloria Cardona, aged 50, were fatally shot while driving a pickup truck in Angamacurito.
Cardona was the brother-in-law of Angamacurito Mayor Humberto Pacheco.
The city’s National System for Integral Family Development, which concentrates on family welfare, is overseen by Lucy Cardona, who is the sister of Rafael and the wife of the mayor.
Gloria, who had become a U.S. citizen, was pronounced dead at the scene, whereas Rafael, a U.S. native, was taken to a hospital in Puruándiro but later succumbed to his injuries.
A spokesperson with the Michoacán State Attorney General’s Office told DailyMail.com on Friday that the couple arrived in Mexico on November 30 to celebrate the holidays with their loved ones.
They said that Rafael and Gloria were just several blocks away from the residence they own when they were shot.
It’s unknown why the couple were attacked.
U.S.-born Rafael Cardona was shot as he was driving near his home in the western Mexican town of Angamacurito on Wednesday and was rushed to a local hospital and died. His wife, Gloria Cardona, was also shot and died at the scene. Rafael was the brother-in-law of Angamacurito Mayor Humberto Pacheco
A spokesperson for the Michoacán State Attorney General’s Office told DailyMail.com that American couple, Rafael Cardona, 53, and his wife Gloria Cardona, 50, were traveling in a pickup truck when they came under fire in the municipality of Angamacurito. Gloria died at the scene and Cardona was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died
The Michoacán State Attorney General’s Office is leading the investigation and had not announced any arrests as of Friday.
The U.S. Department of State said it had learned of the couple’s murder.
‘We are aware of reports of the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Michoacán, Mexico. We are working to gather more information and stand ready to provide consular assistance if necessary,’ the Department of State said in a press release.
A travel advisory on the Department of State’s website warned Americans about the dangers of visiting Michoacán and issued a do-not-travel advisory because of crime and kidnapping.
Crime stats released by Michoacán State Attorney General’s Office showed that at least 1,170 murders were registered between January and November of this year in a state where the Familia Michoacana, Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel have a presence.
In comparison, 1,334 were reported during the same period in 2023.
More than 450,000 people have been killed in Mexico since December 2006, when then-President Felipe Calderón declared a war on drug cartels.
Despite the widespread violence, President Claudia Sheinbaum repeatedly has said that she will not combat violence with violence, maintaining the strategy of her predecessor, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who was criticized often for his ‘hugs, not bullets’ policy.
Angamacurito Mayor Hermes Pacheco (left) and his wife, Lucy Cardona Aguilera, (right) have not publicly addressed the murder of her brother and sister-in-law, two U.S. citizens who were shot dead Wednesday night
Data released at a press conference this week showed an 18.1 percent decrease in the average of daily homicides that were reported from 2019 to 2024.
The report also highlighted the arrests of 5,333 people for committing high-impact crimes October 1 to December 1 this year. In addition, 2,471 weapons and 57.9 tons of different types of drugs were seized.
‘The Security Strategy that we have is going to yield results, little by little, it is not from one day to the next,’ Sheinbaum told reporters.
‘But we are coordinated, we have a strategy, we are reviewing every day, there is supervision and each one is doing the job that corresponds to them. So, there are going to be results.
‘There are already results, because today we presented many results and there will continue to be results,’ she added.
