Relative Of Young Girls Killed In Sinaloa Says They Were Executed By The Military, Not Caught in Crossfire

The victims, identified as Leydi, 11, and Alexa, 7, were traveling with their family through the rural community of La Cieneguilla, about six miles north of Badiraguato, when suspected cartel gunmen ambushed a convoy of Mexican Army soldiers and state prosecutors.

First responders confirmed the girls' deaths at the scene. Four other people—including a 12-year-old boy and his parents—were taken to a hospital in Badiraguato before being airlifted by military helicopter to a regional hospital in Culiacán.

In the video, Medina says he spoke with his uncle, one of the four survivors and reportedly the father of one of the girls. According to Medina, his uncle told him that "what authorities and the media are saying has nothing to do with what actually happened."

"The vehicle they showed at the scene has nothing to do with the one they were traveling in, that's from a previous incident," Medina said.

"They came across federal agents, and instead of stopping them or saying anything, they just opened fire on the vehicle," he added in the video, posted May 8.

Medina also criticized national news outlets, specifically TV Azteca, calling their coverage "inaccurate." He referenced a similar incident in 2008 in which six civilians were attacked by military personnel, resulting in four deaths. In that case, five soldiers were later arrested and charged with homicide.

According to the surviving victims, the soldiers opened fire without warning and killed two people inside the vehicle. Personnel from the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) later confirmed that there was no military checkpoint or inspection post at the scene.

Ongoing violence in Sinaloa

The incident comes amid a surge in violence in Sinaloa, where rival criminal factions—particularly Los Chapitos and La Mayiza—have been locked in a brutal turf war for the past eight months. The conflict intensified following the July 2024 arrests of Joaquín Guzmán López and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, as both groups vie for control of the Sinaloa Cartel.

According to the local news outlet Noroeste, six additional homicides were reported in the state on May 7, bringing the monthly total to 47.

The outlet reports an average of nearly seven homicides per day in May, and if the trend continues, the number of killings could surpass 200—potentially making it the deadliest month since Los Chapitos and Los Mayos declared open war last year.

Noroeste also reports that, so far in 2025, Sinaloa authorities have documented 595 homicides, 547 forced kidnappings and 2,608 vehicle thefts.