Mexican police arrest suspect believed to be tied to murders of American citizens

Mexican authorities have arrested a man who was holding a pair of hostages thought to be connected to a highway massacre that left nine members of the same American family dead.

The Ministerial Agency for Criminal Investigations said the  in possession of several rifles, including large-caliber guns and a stockpile of ammunition.

Mexican police say they found him in the hills of Agua Prieta in the state of Sonora.

Police also managed to seize two vehicles in the raid on Tuesday: A white Dodge pickup truck that had been reported stolen in Phoenix and a GMC Yukon.



Three women, four small children and twin infants were killed in their vehicles Monday while traveling to the state of Chihuahua. All had dual U.S.-Mexican citizenship.

Kendra Lee Miller said her brother was fixing one of the family vehicles after it broke down along the road when he saw a fire on the horizon.

“Then [he] saw the explosion, went to check it out, saw it was my mother’s vehicle, full of bullet holes, completely ablaze,” Miller told CNN.

“My dad Andre, and couple of uncles and relatives went to check up on the vehicle. All they found was charred remains, ash and bones. There were remains inside and outside of the vehicle,” Miller added.



Several children were injured in the ambush Monday, reports said.

They included an 8-year-old who was shot in the jaw and leg; an 8-month-old infant shot in the chest.

Also, authorities said a 4-year-old was shot in the back and a 14-year-old suffered a foot wound. They were flown to Douglas, Ariz., where they were transported to hospitals in Tucson.

One family member told reporters that a 13-year-old boy walked about 14 miles seeking help after hiding his siblings in the bushes and covering them with branches.

But because he took too long to return, a 9-year-old sister then ventured out, walking for hours in the dark before she was found.

Mexican authorities had yet to release the identity of the suspect.

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