Sunday, July 6, 2025

Police locate truck stolen at gunpoint from US visitors

A family from Mesa, Arizona, whose vehicle was stolen while they traveled through Sonora earlier this week, has announced that their truck, nicknamed Starla, has been found. 

“Starla is coming home!! I want to thank all of the Mexican government and so many of our dear friends in Mexico for your support in helping us recover our vehicle. God is a God of miracles,” said Mason Davis on his wife’s Facebook page after learning his truck would be returned. 

Davis, his wife Natalie, and two of their seven children were traveling to their vacation home in Puerto Lobos, Sonora, Tuesday night when men in a sedan wielding an automatic rifle ordered them out of their 2017 Toyota Tundra and drove off with it, as well as the trailer it was pulling carrying three ATVS.

Because Davis didn’t realize he had to have Mexican insurance, the theft was a total loss, setting them back an estimated US $70,000.

It was also a traumatic turn of events for the family, who have vacationed in Puerto Lobos for the past 20 years without incident.

While his wife and daughters hid in a field, Mason Davis was able to flag down a passing vehicle. They spent the night in Puerto Peñasco where they ended up spending the night with strangers who opened their home to the family after hearing of their plight.

“I thank the Lamberts for inviting us to stay with them in Puerto Peñasco when we needed a place to stay, the Puerto Peñasco municipal police who helped us file a report and made sure to provide a transfer when we had no other transportation,” Mason Davis said. 

The Tundra, sans trailer and ATVs, was located Friday afternoon on the Caborca-Desemboque highway, near San Felipe.

Despite the incident, the Davis family says they will continue to travel to Mexico and do not hold the country accountable.

“We do not blame Mexico or its citizens for what happened. We have many great friends in Mexico who have always treated us like family. For those who know the Latino community, you already know that as soon as you walk into their home, you’re offered food to eat, a cold drink and a comfortable place to sit/sleep. There is nothing our friends wouldn’t do for us. This situation could have happened [in] many other places in the world,” Natalie Davis wrote on her Facebook page on Saturday.

“We will continue to love Mexico and all those who continue to better this beautiful country.”

Source: El Universal (sp)

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