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Subscribe to RSSMEXICO CITY – An American missionary couple has been found slain in their home near the violence-plagued industrial city of Monterrey, the U.S. Embassy and family members said Wednesday.
The embassy in Mexico identified the couple as John and Wanda Casias, former residents of Amarillo, Texas.
Valerie Alirez, the eldest child of John Casias, told The Associated Press from her home in Greeley, Colo., that one of her brothers found her father and stepmother Tuesday dead in their home in Santiago, Nuevo Leon.
According to ABC4. com in Salt Lake City, the son told the television station that Wanda Casias's body was found hanging in the kitchen and the father's body was located a short time later behind a guest house near a river.
Numerous items had been stolen and the couple's surveillance system had been destroyed, ABC4.com reported.
The family was originally from Amarillo, Texas, but the couple moved to Mexico in 1979 and made it their home, Alirez said.
Missionary work
John Casias was a Baptist preacher and the couple ran the First Fundamentalist Independent Baptist Church in Santiago, she said.
They also had ties to the Bible Baptist Church in Taylorsville, Utah, according to ABC4.com in Salt Lake City.
It was the second slaying involving American missionaries in a year in the Mexican region bordering Texas.
In January 2011, a Texas couple who had been doing missionary work in Mexico for three decades were attacked at an illegal roadblock in one of the country's most violent areas.
Nancy Davis, 59, was fatally shot in the head while her husband, Sam, sped away from suspected drug cartel gunmen who may have wanted to steal their pickup truck, authorities said.
The Davises were driving along the two-lane road that connects the city of San Fernando with the border city of Reynosa in the state of Tamaulipas, which borders Nuevo Leon.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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I hate it when good people die trying to help others. God made man, Sam Colt made them equal.
Mexico has been a sh**hole of corruption for the last four hundred years. Fix the fence, deepen the ditch, and let's get out ALREADY. Tell the NGO's that if they elect to go there (and Mexico is no different from say Somalia), that they are on their own. If they need to go Bible thumping, go to Arkansas - plenty of sinners there (like the Clinton clan), who desperately need to hear "the Word of the Lord."
Its hard to do God's work when your dead.
Four hundred years? Hmm, isn't that when that good Christian named Cortez barged in?
You must really think before you talk....
Four hundred years? Wow -- then Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, etc. must have been a "**** hole of corruption too!
(For educational purposes, I suggest you look up the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.)
Why can't they just stick to killing each other? I imagine people would gladly pay drug dealers to kill each other.
Drug dealers that target each other also kill many innocent bystanders in the process. And drug dealers have been known to target civilians as well.
You know what eugene meant...
What a horrible shame. Mexico needs to turn itself around, but as anyone can tell you Mexico's biggest problem is the United States. Much of the violence in Mexico is from the drug cartels warring over drug routes into the US. The US isn't very happy about the drugs either. We should pull out of Afghanistan and put a few drone bases in Mexico. Let's see how well those drug cartels hold together once reaper and predator missiles start raining down on their heads. With the drug problem gone, maybe Mexico can then employ all their citizens and offer them prosperity in their homeland.
The solution isn't just with the governments either. US citizens could cause the cartels to fall apart entirely if the demand for marijuana and cocaine suddenly dried up. Quite frankly, anyone who does either of these drugs is a murderer. If you have done pot or coke, then you have effectively paid for the execution of innocent men, women, and children! Getting high isn't harmless! Innocent people are dying so addicts can get their next fix!
Thank you for saying it, TB. People need to hear this!
If we legalized drugs, the cartels would cease to exist. Come to think of it, the Taliban support themselves on opium sales.
Wow - eliminate two big groups of murderers without firing a shot!
Terror Bird - I wish it was that simple to blame Americans for 400 years of corruption in a toilet south of the border. Yes there is a major supply of drugs south of the border; and yes, there is a large customer base north of the border. But you are forgetting all of North, South and Latin America also, or do you just think that their people are smoking banana peels and shooting up guava juice in their veins? The fact that these low breads do not respect human life, especially, those who kill people that preach the word and try to alleviate some of the suffering with their missionary work, tells you that Mexico is beyond repair as a nation. The only way to resolve it is military intervention which the U.S. is not about to do. The other solution is to build a Berlin-style Wall and militarize the border once and for all. I am for militarizing the border by laying land mines, concertina wire, machine gun towers from one end to the other in the U.S. The U.S. needs to build at least five major military installations equipped with armor brigades, rotary and fixed wing aircraft, and three smaller naval bases that can handle the docking of PT boats that have thicker armor on them. Additionally, the skies should be swimming in military drones from one end to the other on our side of the border. Remember this, terrorist have already crossed into the U.S. without being detected.
I remember at the end of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, the reporter asked a former Soviet KGB agent how many sleeper agents were in the U.S. The guy looked at the reporter and said, "4500" lone wolf agents are still in your country! I am willing to guess that figure is double if not triple when it comes to Islamic terrorist, or do you think that all the Muslims in this country are peaceful, law abiding tourist, students, foreign workers and citizens? I fear the day will come that the U.S. will eventually become a police state on the level of Nazi Germany at its pinnacle of 1941. It will happen because no one wants to go back to the Wild, Wild, West days. Unarmed drones are being introduce for surveillance on the border in larger numbers. Eventually, they will be armed to eliminate the ground threat. You might chuckle at the notion but it will come to pass; it will be done in small steps or increments at first; you won't even notice their presences. One day you will hear of a car accidentally exploding - probably the gas tank ignited.
Why don't we repeal NAFTA, it destroyed more jobs in Mexico than it did here, and all it did was make the fabulously wealthy more so.
You will find no argument with me on that!
At least Keith knows what he is talking about. Thanks.
Mike-342745
"If we legalized drugs, the cartels would cease to exist."
So, you think meth and heroin should be legal? Ya, that would solve every problem.
There is a valid argument for legalizing pot. About the worse that would happen from that is that obesity would rise. There is no valid argument for legalizing any other drug.
Rocco - You do have a rather valid point about drug problems abroad creating 'jobs' for the cartels. But that really isn't our problem. Sure illegals will still come across the border, but if there is no drug market here, then the cartels will have no reason to hang around the border. They will move south and then, hey, it's Mexico's problem. As much as I'd love to see Mexico dig itself out of this mess it's gotten into, they don't seem to be doing themselves any favors.
As for NAFTA, I'm not afraid to say that I don't know much about it. All I know is that it supposedly removed all tariffs between the US, Mexico, and Canada. I fail to see how something like that has harmed the jobs. Perhaps you could throw some literature my way about NAFTA and its repercussions. I'm usually all for anything that will take corporations and CEOs down a notch, so a few interesting articles on the matter would rather interest me.
You're a phuckin idiot.
Things are messed up in Mexico and the WOD has not made any difference in the world except for causing bad people to be worse and good people to suffer.
Terror Bird - I really do not believe that day will ever come to pass, where the demand for drugs will dry up in the U.S. If you look at the Middle East and their drug problems; even the threat of death if you’re caught with the drugs does not stop the demand or flow to the population. And the last thing you ever want to do is legalize poison to the public; that definitely is a stupid "f-ing" idea. I cringe every time an idiot proposes that we should legalize illegal drugs. However, if Mexico instituted the death penalty, it might reduce the number of scum in the country. I am very black and white when it comes to drug dealers and terrorist. You capture them; interrogate them, and kill them afterwards. The Mexican government needs to be more draconian in dealing with the cartels. So far, nothing has worked by using the regular police, regular army and special forces, because they are overwhelmed, scared, and corrupt and/or too few in numbers. The main problem the authorities in Mexico have is the bad guys are not afraid of them; it’s the other way around!
I watched a 48 hours special about the Russian police and how they deal with crime. One of our former law enforcement officers went on a ride along with two Russian Police Officers. On one stop, the officers pulled over; got out of the car and approached a suspect. They did not introduce themselves or read him his rights. When they came upon him they beat his @$$ for about 10 seconds and stopped. The American Law Enforcement Observer asked why they kicked his @$$ before questioning him. The Russian Officer replied, “So we have his undivided attention, and he knows we aren’t going to take any crap from him.” I guess by having a suspect being more placid it gets better results. As they say, desperate times call for desperate measures. So goes with Mexico if they want to get better results. They might want to start by declaring Martial Law with curfew before dark in the winter and 9pm in the summer. Anyone caught after hours are treated as a threat including children (who are used as mules, couriers, or spies by the cartel.
Legalize pot and it would curb the violence and create millions of U.S. jobs. Also, if you are stupid enough to go to a hostile country ie Mexico,Somalia,the Middle East then be prepared to die!
Legalize it and ship the crap all over. cartels done. Over. finished. take the profit out of it and give it to the government. Just ry it for a year.
That's a lie, a myth, a fairy tale... take your pick.
What a shame. No one should die such violent ways for only speaking the truth. May God bless their family and friends and soothe the people who may now be afraid because of this uncalled for act of violence.
I guess God did bless them by letting the woman be hung in the kitchen like a side of beef and the husband be thrown in the river just like all of the other trash that Mexicans like to throw in rivers. Maybe they could have rubbed their magic lamp and a big genie would have come out and granted them a wish. Funny how people ask God to bless people after a senseless tragedy rather than asking for it before, or using God's blessing of common sense to stay out of armpits like Mexico. Why do missionaries feel the need to go of to some land that God forgot while people in their own hometowns are dieing and suffering. The Bible says "Love thy neighbor." Thus, wouldn't it seem like God's will to love their neighbor down the street than 1000 miles away? I guess they forgot Jesus's words to not cast your pearls before swine. Just a thought.
Jesus asked that we follow in his footsteps. He was a missionary. He spread the word. If he stayed in his own neighborhood you would not be using his name 2,000 years later. We are not puppets on strings. God does not control the actions of man. We know what God wants from us and we pray for his blessings for the eternity. So God bless them now because now their life begins and now they will be rewarded for how they lived their life in the flesh.
Well, the missionary is no longer welcome there. Now it is the red light, not just tourists, but also the charity workers, e.g. missioners.
They should not have been there. Mexico is a cess pool and too dangerous for Americans to go there.
Decriminialize drugs, treat them as a health problem, and most of this killing will go away.
I dont think so (personal opinion) and here is why I believe this way.
To decriminalize the drug would mean american enforcement for possession would cease since it is no longer a criminal offense. That would free up american police assets and tax money normaly assigned to fight drug possession/sales.
But:
Junkies will still purchase drugs, just more freely. The drugs they use are non medicinal DEA scheduled narcotics and are not produced here or dispersed here. Now a major pharmaceutical company could begin production and sales of the items for american consumption but with lawyers and civil litigation as we know it I can not see any company choosing to do this.
Tobaco & cigarette companies were hit hard in law suits paying out billions because their non medicinal products caused injury and death to consumers. Now imagine Pizer defending in court to a family of a overdosed addict why they marketed and sold heroin or coke to their beloved when they knew it had no medicinal value and could kill him.
You see we had a similiar occurance in the 1920's under the volstead act or better known as prohibition when alcoholic beverages were illegal to manufacture or sell in the U.S., this made criminal gangs fortunes in sales and smuggling and brought waves of murder and other violence as a result. This violence ceased to a degree when the volstead act was repealed but in part because no one has litigated "big alcohol" for injury or damage. People can drink themselves to death, beat their wives and kids or drive drunk and kill others but the manufacturer is never blames or litigated. Medical or pharmaceuticals are, daily. They pay out huge settlements already on doctor prescribed drugs could you imagine the open season on them if they marketed and supplied illicit narcotics for public consumption????
So the demand will still be there looking for available and cheap drugs and the cartels will still be there fighting to supply those cheap drugs and the violence will continue even if legalized until a proper legal manufacturer is available to undercut and fulfill the supply side driving the cartels out of money and business.
Thats my assessment.
A few things you neglected to consider.Smuggling drugs across the border would still be a customs violation and a criminal offense. They wouldn't be able to do it with impunity. We wouldn't have prisons full of harmless potheads. We would get tax revenue like Colorado. We could produce industrial hempseed oil and tell OPEC to kiss off.
I am not against it, I am just pointing out it will not make the terrible parts disappear like many believe. It will free up money/prison space and police which is a win. I am all for personal freedom which means your free to be as smart or stupid as you want to and if you do drugs/drink and kill yourself go for it. I would rather bury idiots than house them in high cost prisons while we let violent offenders out early.
I am all for legalization, but the supply side of drugs will be a fight still.
Legalized drugs will be produced by small, local, judgement-proof operations
You forgot the only sane person to run for president, Ron Paul, who is an M.D and understands.
If drugs were legalized then these criminals would just step up their other businesses: human trafficking, child prostitution, theft, kidnapping for ransom, smuggling of all sorts, extortion and murder for hire. Criminals do not care how they make their money.
Just as muslims see America as the great satan, drug cartels see America as the great intruder. America is the money and miscle behind the war against the cartels. Mexican drug units use american provided money, weapons, training and intelligence to attack the cartels. All Americans are DEA or informants, even if they are not. Since many drug related workers can not directly attack America or its agents they will settle for any American, just like muslims will settle for any American target, not just military ones.
If you travel outside of the U.S., these are your problems also.
Drug cartels make money, they used to keep violence in check to an extint with mutual accords and fear but the government has identified and removed the heads and top members of many of the cartel groups so that left a vacuum and no more control so the violence excalated to control the groups, then to control the area's and routes. They dont care who they hurt or kill in their quest for domination. The former heads shunned public violence to keep the populas sympathetic towards them and against government. Now neither side cares and people are caught in between.
As long as Americans pay the cash, there will be a fight to control the trade. There is to much profit not too.
How did the Muslims fit into this mess anyway? Iranians consider the USA as the Great Satan.
Did you attempt to go of your way just to slam Muslims also?
No pointing out that there are groups of people that hate the U.S. as a whole that they will conduct violence on uninvolved american citizens who have no specific problem with them or mean them no harm as a way of attacking the U.S..
Leon Kilnghoffer (achille lauro) was a crippled old man in a wheel chair and posed no threat to muslim terrorists. He was a tourist yet they murdered him solely because he was an american. Same with Daniel Pearl and many others.
They cant strike at America as a whole so they attack lone american citizens.
When we go after an enemy we target them, and take precautions to avoid innocent victims and collateral damage when possible. These groups share a common trait that they seek it, not avoid it.
You may support muslims, want legal drugs and pose no threats at all, but outside of the U.S. your just an American and a target regardless of your views.
You mean like the crippled Palestinian leader in a wheelchair ,azrancher , that Israelis fired a rocket on ?
Yes Muslims hate America. Ship em back. They are mostly undercover terrorists anyway.
I agree with Alan Dean Foster.
There are places you should not go under any circumstances in Mexico. Anywhere along the Mexico/Texas border states. Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua. Do not go to Veracruz, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Michoacan, Guerrero. You are fine at the resorts. NEVER NEVER go to Monterrey or Acapulco. Ok. Cabo, San Carlos/Guaymas, Puerto Penasco, Manzanillo, Huatulco, Ixtapa but only there. Cancun and the areas around Cancun, Mexico City and Guadalajara are ok for now. Colima state is fine. Puerta Vallarta is fine as is San Miguel Allende. As long as Americans are determined to buy drugs and sell guns, a big part of Mexico will be dangerous. Building that fence is an expensive joke. The narcos either tunnel under it or send in drugs by boat or sub. They have also figure out putting an extension ladder on the back of a pickup so they can climb over the fence or wall.
That's why you build a minefield instead. Much cheaper and trucks go BOOM!
But seriously, the problem isn't keeping them out of America, but taking care of the source of the problem. We call it a "War on Drugs" but it's really just a joke. We need to educate the people of the consequences of their actions. Cocaine and marijuana cause thousands of innocents to die from Mexico all the way down into South America each year. So taking either one means allowing innocents to die just so an addict can feel good for a while. Heroin is worse, in my opinion, since 90% of the world's heroin comes from Afghanistan and the vast majority of that goes into recognized terror groups' coffers. You know, those obscure groups like Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Quite frankly, if you did heroin prior to 9-11, you are to blame, at least in part for the disaster. Thanks for buying those guys' flying lessons so you could get your fix. And those that continue to buy it, thanks for buying the guns and bullets that are killing our troops in Afghanistan. You are truly an upstanding citizen. Your habit isn't hurting anyone. Jack*ss.
If the people realized things like this, they might be a little less likely to start doing the drugs in the first place. Those that already do them... they don't care. They really don't. They will forever see their habits as harming absolutely no one as "the man" tramples on their rights to feel good. Drugs kill innocent people. They destroy lives and rip families asunder. And addicts don't care.
The wall is crazy. they use submarines now.
Time to use armed Drones to track and kill the bad guys in Mexico. Can't imagine how these people can be so mean!
Mexico is worse then Iraq!
Mexico is worse than Iraq! Iraqis have more humanity in them than the drug cartels!! Mexico is a dirty, disgusting place. Why are we in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, when we here, in the US, have a bigger problem? These people are scary and have no boundaries. They have lost all of their humanity and are evil beyond belief!!
Did the article say who killed them, or are ya'all speculating?
Why Rosswell?? Are you waiting on your drugs, and don't want to have more blame put on your supplier??
We need 2 bring our troops home from Afghanistan and put them on the border with Mexico and blow the heads off anything that pops up south of the border till they get the message that there is a right, legal and honest way to come here and a deadly way to try. For those that try the deadly way we will give them what shall hence force and forever more be referred to as "A ONE SHOT DEAL".
"Anything that pops up south of the border" ?
So, if a Mexican is walking on his side of the fence, a US Marine can kill him huh?
What is your definition of murder?
SRK, it's called an eye for an eye. People are tired of waiting for our lustrious president to get off his duff, and do something. Oh, I forgot, he wants the illegal vote!!!!!!!
undocumented democrats are his only hope. Vote early & vote often.
Which has absolutely nothing to do with the article.
I wonder why azrancher does it , Toasty ? You think he has an agenda like the killing of a Palestinian in a wheel chair in Israel ?
Aliens.........they just are not where they can be called illegal......yet !!
Stay out of Mexico -- there is NO reason to go there. None.
It is about time Americans learned WE the USA has a beautiful huge country with trees, mountains, lakes, plaines, oceans, deserts, USA has it all! STAY HERE!
Mexico is a Catholic Country--they got Priests, our "do gooder missionaries" need not go there. Every time they do they get wacked! Stay home!
Keith. That's the problem. The Catholic Church says to keep having babies (so long as they're Catholic and it doesn't matter that you can't take care of them because God will). Makes much sense huh??
every baby born is new potential to solve the world"s problems. You don t have exclusivity to the planet
earth just because you re all ready here.
Keith up top, you just don't understand. These missionaries were NOT 'do-gooders'. They were following what is called the Great Commission given to us believers and followers of Jesus Christ- which is to "go into ALL the world and PREACH the gospel to EVERY creature!" They felt led and compelled to go to a place that was dangerous. So what, do the people in Mexico not deserve to be told how they can accept Jesus into their lives so they can go to Heaven??? I applaud this couple on their job well done. And now in Heaven, they have heard their Heavenly Father say "well done though good and faithful servant". 20 years they served on the mission field- reaching souls for Jesus Christ. There is nothing more noble than that. And they were loving their 'neighbor'...just the ones accross the border =) Blessings.
You can live for Christ and believe those fairy tales. Those guys are as dead as dogs and their life has been wasted on crap.
People here need to wake up; Mexico is a lawless and out of control country
It is a national security threat
Still, BOTH PARTIES DENY IT!!!!!
It is a clear and present danger and they keep saying no, no, no!!!!! Who are they sH!tt!n???
I'm for legal immigration only and do not care what your skin color is.
I think we, the United States of America have got to send a United response to Mexico that we will not help them in any way if they are taking our lives, particularly when benevolent work is being performed by good, innocent or harmless people like preachers. We can build that tall wall. If the rule of Law applies to our contry, I certainly expect the international rule of Law to apply to Mexico. I speak Spanish myself and drove through Mexico in the past and loved it. I am saddened to read that things have changed and that aggression will not stand by me.
Mexico is a deeply Catholic country, and probably didn't take well to the Baptists in the first place. Add in the fact that it's a warzone, and missionaries sometimes have ridiculous amounts of funding from their home churches... just not a good recipe. :(
Brown people are cowards. Other Oppressed people around the World pick up a rock and fight the evil that tries to enslave them. The BROWN people only roll over or escape to another country. The US is at fault for not applying sanctions like IRAN.
Im sure the US will soon face a nation wide Brown Out.
Huh? I suppose the "brown" people that kicked the Europeans out of Hispanic Americas were cowards. They have a collective memory of 300 years of violence of rape and killings and enslavement by the Spanish. Then came corrupt national governments for the past 200 years as well as US imposing the will of corporate America on them to name a few. I guess it just easier for some to not think and use some degrading "cowards" remark.
Our people go to Mexico to spread the Gospel and are killed doing so. Their people come to the US and we open our doors to good jobs, health care, food stamps, education etc. There is something wrong with this picture.
My sympathy to the family.
Stay home and go door to door. Oh I guess you can get shot in the US too. Probably a better chance.
The best way of stoping drugs is Don't take Drugs!!!!!
It's not just low life that takes drugs it's from CEO's down to the Poor!!!
People today say Ok to Drugs!!!!!!! If people don't take drugs that equals to NO Drugs!!!
Smuggling drugs into America has been a problem for a very long time!!!! at least 150 years.
The 1920 - 1940 it went along with organized crime during these years!!!
The more People the more People on Drugs!!!!! America is going to the dogs!!
God gave man inalienable rights
Among these are
Life
Liberty
And the pursuit of happiness.
pass the doobie
suppose those jc freaks have found out the truth about the crap they pass off
to the un-educated poor
Right there is alot worng with this picture. nothing about the US or Mexico, it's about Lust for power everywhere. Unfortunately the only thing that gets the attention of these powers is a hard kick to the head. You can only have a debate with someone if they are not trying to kill you.
NAFTA that put in Mexico over a million farmers out of business working for you ? The phoney " War On Drugs " working for you just like the phoney "War On Terror " ? I used to travel throughout Mexico years ago. Friendly people . In Guadalahara women with children safetly at 2AM walked with their children. I made a point to visit where no one spoke English to get to know the country - lovely people, clean, ready to help. On the streets " Buenas Dias , Senor " - people I did not even know. I was curious when i got to lake Chappala. There is a town called , I am trying to remember, Ajihic or something like that.Had a car problem and talked to many people -all ready to help me. I asked if the town was always so nice , peaceful. Oh , no , senor-we had Americanos-artists and other people . some slept on streets. So what happened ? They looked around and in low voice -we had a Night Of Long Knives, but nobody wants to talk about it . We killed a few Gringos, Americanos and the rest ran back to the border. Draw your own conclusions and stop blaming the Mexicanos.