On Friday, August 23, 2024, two Arizona women were tragically killed on a perilous stretch of highway in Mexico, according to statements from prosecutors.

The victims, aged 72 and 82, were found deceased around 10:30 a.m. on Friday inside a bullet-riddled, overturned white Nissan Pathfinder. The vehicle was located on the side of the Sonoyta-Caborca highway, near a Mexican border town, as reported by the Sonora attorney general’s office.

The Arizona residents, known only by their first names Enedina and Ubaldina, were traveling to their hometown of Caborca, over 100 miles southwest of the US-Mexico border when authorities say they were attacked by gunmen. 

During the investigation, police located a stolen navy blue Ford F-150 truck, which contained a stockpile of magazines and cartridges, four AK-47 rifles, and three ballistic vests, according to the prosecutor’s office.

An operation was swiftly initiated by security forces from three governmental levels to locate and apprehend the criminal group responsible, utilizing specialized air and ground forces, stated Sonora state prosecutors. As of now, no arrests have been made.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson told USA TODAY on Tuesday that they confirmed the deaths of the two women. One was a lawful permanent resident and the other was an American citizen. The State Department said they “are closely monitoring the situation.”

The highway where the bodies were discovered is situated near the town of Sonoyta in the state of Sonora, which has been beset by violence. Last year, a California graduate student was killed in the state of Sonora. The State Department has cautioned Americans to reconsider travel to Sonora due to crime and kidnapping.