Migrant father and son's throats slit, left on the side of the road in Mexico
The boy was lucky to survive despite a 7cm long wound in his neck, but the father who tried to take his son across the border to the US did not survive.
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Cristian lies in the arms of his dead father on the side of the road in Morelos state, Mexico on July 6. Photo:CNN. |
Mexican authorities said today that 10-year-old Cristian, a boy from Guatemala, is out of danger and recovering well. Cristian was found gasping for breath next to the body of his father on July 6.
Both father and son had their throats slashed, with Cristian suffering a nearly 7cm wound. The boy, wearing jeans, an American football jersey and a light jacket, was lying in the arms of his dead father, Rudy, 37.
Cristian and his father left Guatemala on May 28. Cristian’s uncle and cousin were also on the trip. They formed a small group: the two brothers and their two sons tried to cross the border into Mexico and reach the United States by land.
The group hired a broker in Guatemala to take them to the US. However, the broker abandoned them in Mexico and the four were kidnapped by the Los Zetas drug cartel. The gang called their relatives in the US and demanded a ransom of $12,000. The family wired $8,000 but received no response from the kidnappers.
Days later, Cristian and his father were found lying on the side of the road, their throats slit, and left to die. Cristian’s uncle and cousin escaped and are now in the care of Mexican authorities.
Cristian was taken to a hospital in the city of Cuatla, where he was treated for his injuries and given psychological treatment. "The boy underwent surgery and is in stable condition," the Guatemalan foreign ministry said.
The ministry also pledged to pay all costs associated with repatriating Rudy's body. The three survivors now have two options: stay in Mexico on humanitarian visas or return to Guatemala.
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Cristian at a hospital in Cuatla city on July 10. Photo:CNN. |
Migrants traveling through Mexico are often victims of theft, extortion, rape and murder. In 2010, the bodies of 72 migrants, 58 men and 14 women, were discovered in a mass grave in northeastern Mexico. Mexican authorities said most of the victims were migrants from Honduras and El Salvador.
Last month, a Mexican journalist photographed the bodies of Oscar Alberto Martinez and his 23-month-old daughter, Angie Valeria Martinez, lying face down in the weed-filled waters of the US-Mexico border. They drowned while trying to cross the Rio Grande into the US. The image shocked the world and served as a reminder of the harsh reality of the migration crisis at the US southern border.
