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Three members of a Southern California family have been missing for nearly a month after taking a trip to Mexico, loved ones say.
Roberto Muñoz, his wife Cecilia, and their grandson Armando Salinas, had gone to Mexico to visit relatives over the holidays. But just as the three were beginning their trip home, family members lost contact with them.
Relative Delphina Layton said the family had reached out to the U.S. Embassy and the FBI, to no avail.
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Cellphones belonging to the missing group appear to have been turned off, and border records show that they never crossed back into the United States, she said.
Mexico's drug war is also part of a drug culture with roots in music, movies and even religion
Layton expressed frustration with the pace of the investigation.
“I need returned calls,” she said. “Somebody get back to me and tell me that you’re doing something.”
A Palm Springs, Calif., television station reported that the family had been traveling through Chihuahua, Mexico, and passing through the rough border town of Ciudad Juarez. U.S. relatives were reported to be living in the Coachella Valley, northeast of San Diego.
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This has been going on there for as long as I can remember. When I was in high school a friend went to mexico with his girl friend. They ended up finding their ID's and some of their belongings but never them or their car. That was 44 years ago. If they were alive some one would have heard from them. I wouldn't go to mexico if the vacation was FREE. There sure is a lot of killing in mexico even though guns are illegal.
BTW, Chudad Juarez has always been a very dangerous place. And if often spills over to El Paso TX. As for the lady who said she is living in Texas and hoping to turn it into a "Progressive" state, I ask Why? you moved to a conservative place for a reason. You must like it the way it is. Why would you want to change it. If it ain't broke, don't "fix" it. Otherwise you might wind up with another Chicago.
Mexico is lost. It is equal to Colombia back in the 1980's, the difference is that now the US Government looks away and sticks its collective head in the sand while the issue is at our doorstep.
I have lived within 40 minutes of the border with Mexico for 30+ years. I used to drive to Mexico to have lunch and drinks, some tourist shopping I even had several friends who would have their dental work done in Mexico.
Those days are long done.
Now 4 miles from my home is a sign placed there by the Obama Administration warning American Citizens to enter the area at their own risk due to drug and human trafficking.
At least one national park along the border has been closed due to the violence.
The I 19 / I 10 corridor is estimated to carry 60-80 % of the illegal drugs and people trafficked by the cartels.
To compound the issue "rip crews" armed Mexican bandits like the ones that killed Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry roam the desert with impunity.
President Obama has surrendered the State of Arizona to these monsters and when we the citizens take legal action to try and get assistance he SUES the state and makes idiotic statements about Ice creams and IDs.
Ask any Agent working the Tucson sector what a "rape tree" is and you will understand there really is a war on women in America.
Life is cheap south of the border and going to get cheaper! The spill over is getting worse year by year! We need to get the military on that border to reinforce the border patrol, shut it down. No other country on earth has a border as porous as this. Billions of dollars spent by Homeland Security and the back door left wide open. Drugs, human traffic of all sorts, a terrorist wet dream point of entry...this is just so stupid, all we do for security and still have a walk across border for anything that can walk or crawl. It takes them to mid week to clean up the dead they find laying around on Monday morning down there a scenario soon coming to the U.S. border towns. Almost a complete break down of society in Mexico! The next major terrorist cell will come across the border mixed in with the other illegals, just to obvious, to easy but when you have a govenment that has terrorist in flight schools all over the country with nobody wanting to learn how to land and nobody picks up on it....we are pretty much screwed!
Mine the border, that will handle the problem.
It is taking them time to hide 18 people in their vehicle.
Mexican is caught after years of molesting children and spreading TB and Aids.The community is going to kill him because the police have been ran off by drug gangs.So what is he too do.EASY he will just go to Illinois and get a drivers license and sell drug gang drugs and get back to molestation.
This would be scarier if it were coherent. Wait, maybe the way you have witten it is actually scarier. Meaning, I'm scared that people like you are amongst us.
You should buy your dope locally, support your local weed-grower. Mexico is too dangerous.
Those major drug cartels have spilled into the US by filtration, they have even used our Army to enlist in for training. Look up on the internet and you will find all over the US areas marked with known cartel members, you will find out What affiliation ect... If you get drugs from Cartel members by whatever source in the US, and do not pay up ect... you are in danger too, there has been cartel type killings in the US, they just do not occur in the hundreds monthly.
As blue states have been legalizing and/or decriminalizing the use of marijuana and the growing thereof, the Mexican cartels have been moving their activity to the red states.They've already moved their main distribution center from the West Coast to Atlanta Georgia.
What people dont raelize about Mexico is that the Police are the problem. The last two times I was there I was extorted money by the Police. As long as you have money to give them and dont give them any trouble they will let you go. I wasent doing anything wrong I was just a blonde haired american tourist and they knew they could get money from me. Once was in Cancun and the other time was in Plya De Carmen so these were high tourist locations. The Police in Mexico make only what they can get out of people. I found this out the hard way and it seems even the mexican people get extorted for money from them also. The only advise I could give anyone is to stay in a large group together when venturing out as you are not as easy a target as when you are just a couple. I agree the Mexican presidents have never addressed this problem with the crooked cops in their country. The corruption is everywhere even in the large tourist locations such as Cancun and other locations on the main land. The island of Cozumel is pretty and probably the safest location in Mexico as it is a fairly small island and it seems to be safer and less corrupt than the mainland.
Things like this can (and do) happen in places other than Mexico, including the United States. If you have to go to Mexico, which I wouldn't suggest unless absolutely necessary, it's safer to cross the border by air than on ground (if flying is an option). Also, do some research before crossing the border, similar to research you might do before traveling to an unfamiliar city - If an area is especially dangerous (Juarez has a reputation as one of the world's most dangerous cities), then don't go there!
Wow, Mickey, nice to read a comment from someone who uses the grey matter between their ears for something besides hair fertalizer. Like the comment earlier about Chicago, great place to go and have fun just stay out of the bad areas. If you are stupid enough to wander outside the "DMZ", You get to pay price......what ever it may be.
mexico is a black hole...and it surprises me..sort of that we will send troops to the other side of the world...yet we wont do @!$%# to this country....
Mom2Five: No you aren't necessrily safe here anymore. I live in one of the best gated communities just a few blocks from downtown/Mich Ave in Chicago. Our immediate area is beautiful and we pay for it to remain that way. However, like in many nice neighborhoods here now, there is a 'pocket' of druggies, a drug stop and gang bangers just 3 blocks away-courtesy of tearing down the projects 2 years ago. Almost every week, a stoned out crazy wanders over and starts looking in windows or hassling someone. Or a group of 3-4 stroll down the block casing homes..or a break in. CAr windows smashed every week. Last week we had a 13 yr old with a gun (who shot it) hiding from the police under my neighbors car. The Goldcoast/Michigan avenue area, once very safe has now become a huge problem every spring due to gangs migrating there, robbing etc in broad daylight. I have lived here all my life and NEVER seen anything like this. They no longer are afraid to cross into nice neighborhoods, My point in telling? CUT THE B.S. with counting clips and cameras on the street-GO AFTER THE ILLEGAL WEAPONS AND THOSE PICKED UP FOR CRIMES WITH GUNS and prosecute so severely that their criminal buddies will think twice. Look at the penalties now-they are a JOKE and instead, we have to pay for 'gun reform' .We are living proof that it DOES NOT WORK-Some poor old black man shot his attackers recently-but he was OUTSIDE HIS HOME..so he was charged. If that is not insanity..What a freakin joke...Indiana is looking better and better..
(David N.'s wife here.) @Marry-364630 #67: "CUT THE B.S.'........ Ditto!
As for those 'running off at the mouth' about the violence in Mexico and its Drug Cartel; perhaps, just perhaps if the United States of America cleaned up its problem of 'drug addicts' then it would put the bad guys South of their border out of business or at least put a big dent in it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There are less than 900,000 hard drug addicts in the United States. There are over 30 million admitted potheads. As soon as the rest of the country decides to follow the example of Colorado and Washington state, the cartels will pretty much just dry up and blow away.
we are told NOT to go to Mexico but still they go, when will people learn? I would never go there not even to a resort area, NONE Of Mexico is safe period!
After my last trip to Mexico and the shakedown we got from the police, I'll never go back. There are a lot of great Mexican people, but their police and politicians are so crooked that it is just too dangerous to go there anymore.
shake down by police? You were probably drunk doing something you were not supposed to....
Can you handle the truth? When are the Mexican people going to realize the only way to handle their problem is instant death penalty.
When you catch the drug dealers and users kill them on the spot. I quarantee you that will stop the problem. But it will take a while.
Let the games begin.
ANYONE that goes to Mexico now days is taking their lives in their OWN hands!!!!! STAY HOME! Maybe, If we BOYCOT that place, Then their president, police and general public would do something to rid themselves of their murderous cartel!
They obviously were going home. Did you see their names? Stay home? Half of Mexico is in California. What makes "home" any safer?
Do not travel through Mexico by car! If you are flying to Cabo or Cancun, thats different.
What a bunch of stupid comments, it's not that Mexico is not safe, is that people who search for trouble find it. But I guess is easier to condemn others without noticing that in the US besides drug dealers, and gangs you let crazy people shoot dozens of kids on their schools and students in their university...yeah, because that makes totally sense.
For one thing they are a Mexican family. And for another America is going to be Mexico soon and MORE dangerous because all of Mexico's losers are going to be here with their GUNS (which legal Americans are not allowed to have) and drugs. Praise Obama and all the loser Republicans who caved. Really give up our country so you losers could get a few votes? Half of those"latinos" probably voted illegally. If they were kept out of here in the first place we wouldn't have this problem.
Couldn't pay me to visit Mexico.
And their troubles, if not here are moving this way every day.
I prefer you dont visit, last thing I want to see is some fat, loud drunk, with pink burnt skin, flopping around like a whale in the sand next to me. Then later on walking around in sandles and socks, making americans look ridiculous.
I live in Mexico and have for most of my adult life. Mexicans from the states come down in brand new SUVs loaded with cash, toys, and electronics. They are dressed in designer clothes with gold chains. Every year they get robbed and sometimes killed. I would not drive through Compton in a Hummer full of electronics and cash. It is common sense.
Chihuahua has a ton of problems. You are asking for trouble driving through the most dangerous place in the country. Many areas of Mexico are safe and some areas are dangerous, just like every other country in the world...
The only thing I see on the news about the USA are school shootings, murders, war, and celebrity couples....
Anyone who travels to Mex. is putting their life at risk. I had a buddy who died in a prison down there and was creamated before anyone could investigate. I agree that this counrty is making a big mistake by allowing illegals to stay here. Of course, it's the PC thing to do. As far as major cities in the US, they should ban gangs, not guns.
I've vacationed in Mexico at least 75 times since 1973. Mostly coastal areas, but a few interior cities. I have not had one unpleasant experience (except for the "touristas" a time or two) in all that time. I've walked the back streets at night, danced at the discos, hung with the locals and never encountered a single soul that worried me. I think if you look for trouble you will likely find it. If you put yourself in harm's way you will get hurt. If you make bad choices you will likely have to suffer the consequences. My best guess is that these people made some bad choices, and got into trouble. I hope they get out OK.
Mostly costal is the key word here, better stay there which are sheltered to preserve the foreign tourist economy.
Better stay out of the rural areas.
I know rural areas much safer than coastal areas....better to not talk out your ass about something you nothing about
DONT GO THERE!!!!!!!!
dumb morons...........lots of people go there and become the victims of kidnappings and murder and robbery.........nothing new!!!! its rare it even hits THE NEWS
truly stupid.....
" well nothing ever happened before"!!!!!????? DUHHHHHH next christmas go to hawaii!!!!!
Its amazing how ignorant Americans are...You have zero experience, zero understanding, and zero knowledge about Mexico.....
If I went by what I see on the news about USA, I would think all children have to duck to keep from getting shot in classroom....
You grab a couple news articles and think you know whats going on in Mexico....I have a little bit of information for you....THE MEDIA SENSATIONALIZES NEWS....hard to believe but true
Mexico conficiated all the guns years ago,
Now, the drug cartel rules!
and govt is on payroll!
Figure it out sheeple! They are gone, aint coming back. most likely will never be any thing found of them and there is nothing you can do.
Thats what happens when you give govt absolute power, they become absolute rulers and you become subjects instead of citizens.
You are completely ridiculous....typical fear monger
I hope this family is ok. The Mexican government can not protect its own people, so you know they really cant protect American citizens either. If you have no relatives down there to visit , this should not be yor next vacation spot. And the resorts are not as well protected as you might think. People can say they had no problems at the resorts and they felt very safe, they were the lucky ones.......