Today's Arizona Republic
The scene off a remote stretch of the Arizona-Mexico border is horrifying no matter how you look at it: five burned bodies found in a sport-utility vehicle that had been set ablaze.
Given all the mayhem in Mexico, the first reports would seem valid enough: There was concern the five bodies were proof of spill-over violence from Mexico. A local sheriff went as far as to say that all signs pointed to it being a narco hit.
Now authorities are saying the bodies are actually those of a Tempe family involved in a murder suicide. What a difference 24 hours can make in terms of news and investigations.
The switch underscores how emotions are flowing and, some might argue, how agendas play out when it comes to violence in the border region, especially when in Mexico more than 50,000 people have been murdered in cartel-related violence since 2006.
It is also no secret that there are some people who are chomping at the bit to find high-profile examples of violence indeed spilling over into the United States from Mexico’s war.
Is there violence on U.S. soil that has spilled over from Mexico? Absolutely. Can those levels of violence be seen as similar in any way to what is going on in Mexico: No. Fortunately that is just not the case.
While there is a need to keep our borders secure, so far the vast majority of violence has been kept in Mexico.
As reported in Tuesday's Houston Chronicle
Here is the June 3 report from the Arizona Republic:
Five people whose charred bodies were found Saturday in the smoldering remnants of an SUV in Pinal County were likely revenge slayings committed by a drug cartel, the Pinal County sheriff said.
“All information is pointing that this is connected to the violent drug cartel smuggling in this high smuggling area,” Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said Sunday on his Facebook page. The bodies were burnt beyond recognition and put in the second seat and cargo areas of the torched Ford Explorer, Babeu said.