Mexico Mormon family has tearful Christmas after cartel murders

Mexico Mormon family has tearful Christmas after cartel murders

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Surrounded by dozens of his descendants, Adrian LeBaron gave thanks to God as he prepared to celebrate Christmas for the first time since suspected Mexican drug cartel hitmen murdered his daughter and four grandchildren last month.

. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini
LeBaron talks during a Christmas party.

The patriarch of a large family of U.S.-Mexican Mormon origin, LeBaron was thrust into the media spotlight when gunmen shot dead nine women and children in the northern state of Sonora on Nov. 4, sparking outrage on both sides of the border.

LeBaron, who has 35 living children, 87 grandchildren and a great-grandson, cried as he remembered his daughter Rhonita Miller, 30, whose charred body was found after the massacre in a torched vehicle on a rugged dirt track near her home.

. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini
Family members react to a song, dedicated to her sister Rhonita Miller.

"We thank you for giving us the strength to withstand the things that have brought pain to our souls," the 58-year-old said in Spanish standing next to Shalom, Rhonita's mother.

. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini
Shalom Tucker, Miller's sister Melissa Conklin and her niece Samantha Conklin unwrap newly printed pictures of Miller and her children.

Before the family sat down for a dinner of roast turkey and Mexican food, mementos of Rhonita and her dead children adorned his spacious hilltop home in the northern state of Chihuahua with a commanding view of surrounding farms and walnut groves.

As the night ended, LeBaron sang a song to Rhonita in memory of their last dance at a Mexican celebration in September.

. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini
A relative shows a ring that was made out of material from Rhonita Miller car.

Her sister Lian sported a bracelet made of two pacifiers used by Rhonita's slain seven-month old twins Titus and Tiana, while other family members wore rings made of metal taken from the wreckage of the SUV in which the family was killed.

Lian son's Xavier thought of his dead cousin, Howard, 12.

"I miss him so much," the boy said.

. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini
Rusty cars, some riddled with bullets, sit in a police station in LeBaron, Mexico.

Mexico has arrested several suspects linked to the massacre, which investigators believe pitched the women and children into a dispute between warring drug cartels. Gang violence in Mexico has claimed more than 200,000 lives in the past 12 years.

Dressed for scenes from the Nativity and in Christmas garb, cousins of the departed children sang carols in English amid Mexican flags that pointed to their bi-national roots.

. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini
Shalom Tucker, the mother of Rhonita Miller, talks with a reporter.

"I'm happy to see them all play, but a part of me is dead, asleep," said Shalom LeBaron, one of four women to have borne Adrian children, including 12 of her own. At length, she raised her hands to her eyes, unable to contain the tears.

"They took away their chance to live," she wept.

. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini
Adrian LeBaron drives past a statue of his father and grandfather in LeBaron.

The LeBarons first came to Mexico in the early 20th century when their polygamist beliefs brought them into conflict with U.S. authorities. Ever since Adrian's grandfather founded the village of Colonia LeBaron in 1941, violent organized crime groups have been a threat to their farming activities, he said.

Though the family prospered by growing walnuts, peppers and cotton, the rule of law in the sparsely-populated arid expanses of the borderlands has remained weak, posing constant security challenges. Some have even taken to arming themselves.

. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini
A member of the LeBaron family poses for a photograph with a gun.

"Life isn't life if you're being threatened. My message to the world and to my children is that you have to fight to know that you're free," LeBaron said.

Like dozens of his relatives, Adrian LeBaron said he will keep pushing the Mexican government until those responsible for the brutal massacre have been brought to justice.

He believes Mexico must work closely with the United States if it is to get a grip on record levels of gang violence.

. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini
Migratory birds fly over LeBaron.

But the native of Chihuahua is also a patriotic Mexican.

"You're from where your family grows up, where you bury your dead," he said. "What more right could I have if they're here?"

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who met members of the family after the massacre, sought U.S. cooperation, inviting the FBI to help in the investigation. But he has firmly rejected any U.S. "intervention" in Mexico.

"Fear has stopped people from reacting," said Adrian's cousin Julian LeBaron, who recovered a baby from the site of the slaughter after the child's mother was killed. "But we're no longer afraid, we'll continue to fight and we'll mobilize."

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Slideshow

Melissa LeBaron applies mascara.
. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Melissa LeBaron applies mascara.

Caroline LeBaron, 11 months old, stands between her mother's legs in the early morning.
. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Caroline LeBaron, 11 months old, stands between her mother's legs in the early morning.

LeBaron, a presiding elder of the Church of the Firstborn, ministers a service.
. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

LeBaron, a presiding elder of the Church of the Firstborn, ministers a service.

People attend a service at a Mormon church.
. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

People attend a service at a Mormon church.

LeBaron carries wood in the early morning.
. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

LeBaron carries wood in the early morning.

A chicken dish is prepared at a birthday party.
. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

A chicken dish is prepared at a birthday party.

Tucker and Conklin pose for a photograph.
. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Tucker and Conklin pose for a photograph.

LeBaron plays with his grandson Krixus during his ninth birthday party.
. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

LeBaron plays with his grandson Krixus during his ninth birthday party.

A child shoots the window of a car with a toy gun during a birthday party.
. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

A child shoots the window of a car with a toy gun during a birthday party.

Lenzo Widmar shows his toy trains during a party at his home.
. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Lenzo Widmar shows his toy trains during a party at his home.

Julian LeBaron talks to relatives at a construction site in LeBaron.
. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Julian LeBaron talks to relatives at a construction site in LeBaron.

LeBaron talks to Delicia, one of his wives, at her walnut plantation.
. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

LeBaron talks to Delicia, one of his wives, at her walnut plantation.

LeBaron talks to Marta Munoz, one of his wives, as she fries dough discs known as bunuelos.
. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

LeBaron talks to Marta Munoz, one of his wives, as she fries dough discs known as bunuelos.

Lian Johnson hangs a picture on the wall of her sister Rhonita Miller.
. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Lian Johnson hangs a picture on the wall of her sister Rhonita Miller.

Adrian Lebaron, a brother of Rhonita Miller makes announcements during a Christmas party.
. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Adrian Lebaron, a brother of Rhonita Miller makes announcements during a Christmas party.

Relatives of Rhonita Miller attend a Christmas celebration party.
. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Relatives of Rhonita Miller attend a Christmas celebration party.

Lian Johnson, sister of Rhonita Miller, is consoled by a friend at her house.
. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Lian Johnson, sister of Rhonita Miller, is consoled by a friend at her house.

Children are served food during a Christmas dinner.
. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Children are served food during a Christmas dinner.

A child cries during a party.
. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

A child cries during a party.

Houses stand in LeBaron.
. Lebaron, Mexico. Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini

Houses stand in LeBaron.