Two Young Girls Killed in Sinaloa Ambush as Cartel…

Two Young Girls Killed in Sinaloa Ambush as Cartel Violence Continues

Image of the vehicle that was transporting the family caught in the May 6 ambush in La Cieneguilla, Badiraguato, Sinaloa (Credit: Via posta.com.mx)

Federal an state authorities in Badiraguato, Sinaloa, reported the deaths of two young girls who were caught in the crossfire during an ambush carried out by suspected cartel operatives targeting members of the Mexican Army and the Sinaloa Attorney General's Office.

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's city center, when the attack occurred.

Officials said four suspects were arrested following the shootout, although their identities and any possible ties to criminal groups such as Los Chapitos or La Mayiza have not been confirmed.

According to local media reports, military and state officials were going to a nearby town where the bodies of three people had been discovered next to a Jeep-style vehicle on May 5. While traveling along a highway, the convoy was ambushed by armed civilians firing from multiple positions, triggering a prolonged confrontation.

Dos menores perdieron la vida y cuatro personas resultaron heridas tras un enfrentamiento entre militares y un grupo armado en la zona serrana de Badiraguato, Sinaloa. Los detalles con Felícitos Trujillo.#PorLaMañana con Manuel Feregrino (@ConFeregrino). pic.twitter.com/Hfucc7Rcv4
— Grupo Fórmula (@Radio_Formula) May 7, 2025

Authorities were able to partially repel the attack and later reported the presence of injured civilians.

First responders at the scene confirmed the girls' deaths to local media. Four other individuals—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.

Sinaloa Governor Vows Justice

Sinaloa Gov. Rubén Rocha Moya expressed his "deep indignation" over the killings and vowed that the crime would not go unpunished.

"As a father, as a citizen, and as governor of the state, I express my deep indignation and strongly condemn the painful acts of violence afflicting Sinaloa—especially when the victims are innocent, and even more so when they are children, as happened yesterday in Badiraguato," Rocha Moya said in a May 7 statement. "We stand with the family in their grief and will do everything possible to ensure there is no impunity and that full justice is served."

Ongoing Violence in Sinaloa

The May 6 ambush 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.