Texan Missionaries Slain in Mexico

John, Wanda Casias found dead in home near Monterrey
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 2, 2012 12:43 AM CST
Updated Feb 2, 2012 2:30 AM CST
Texan Missionaries Slain in Mexico
John and Wanda Casias moved to Santiago in 1979.   (casias.org)

An elderly missionary couple from Texas have been murdered in the Mexican town where they lived and preached since 1979. John and Wanda Casias were found dead in their home in Santiago, near Monterrey, in an area ravaged by battling drug cartels. They were strangled with electrical cords, and a TV, computers and a car were missing from their home, CBS reports.

The couple, who founded a Baptist church in the town, wrote about their lives and missionary work on their website casias.org. They noted that frightened wealthy residents were beginning to listen to their message. "The wealthy are now fleeing to Canada and the USA for protection," the wrote in one update. "The problem is that when they return to renew their visas the cartel is waiting, and either kill them or kidnap them for thousands of dollars, in some cases millions. The cartel has no mercy or value for life." Another American missionary was shot dead early last year at an illegal roadblock near the US border. (More Monterrey stories.)

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