U.S. Family Attacked On Mexico Highway, 13-Year-Old Girl Dead

MONTERREY, MEXICO — Mexican officials are searching for gunmen who attacked a U.S. family traveling home Saturday night from a holiday visit to relatives in the state of San Luis Potosi, according to reports.

The family was traveling on a sparsely traveled stretch of highway near the Texas border when the attack took place, injuring three and killing a 13-year-old girl.

The family, traveling in two vehicles with Oklahoma license plates, was attacked on a two-lane highway paralleling the U.S.-Mexico border in the township of Ciudad Mier.

One SUV of attackers passed the family and then cut them off, causing them to collide and come to a halt. Gunmen then opened fire, according to a statement from the state of Tamaulipas security coordinating group. All of the wounded were in one of the family's vehicles. The gunmen escaped in another vehicle.

Among the injured were a 10-year-old boy and a 48-year-old man, both of whom were listed as critically injured, according to the Nuevo Leon state prosecutor's office. A 42-year-old woman was also injured and was reported in stable condition.

The area where the attack occurred is contested by drug cartels and criminal groups, including the Gulf Cartel and Zetas. The latest U.S. State Department travel advisory, issued in mid-December, gave Tamaulipas state a “do not travel” designation because of the prevalence of crime and kidnapping there.

Officials said it was unclear why the family was traveling on the high-risk highway after dark.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.