CLEBURNE, Texas, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Two children from a Texas family survived a massacre on a bus in Mexico that left their mother, two sisters and a cousin dead, relatives say.
Michael Hartsell, 10, of Cleburne, Tcxas, witnessed the killings, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
"Michael has just been telling us a lot of horrible stories," Mary Bullock, a friend of the family, said Monday. "He's just a different person now, and he's only 10 years old."
Michael and his sister, Angie, 15, who has Down syndrome, were on their way home with an aunt and uncle. They were reunited with their relatives at a border station.
Maria Hartsell, 39, took her four children and a nephew to visit relatives in Mexico. The family was on a bus in Veracruz on Thursday when it was boarded by robbers.
Mrs. Hartsell was shot in the head, and her oldest daughter, Karla, 18, in the cheek, Michael told his family. Another daughter, Cristina, 13, was killed when she tried to protect Angie, who had been slapped by one of the gunmen.
Mexican authorities say the driver and a Mexican couple also died. The alleged robbers were later killed by police.
Maria Hartsell, her daughters and her 14-year-old nephew were buried in Mexico. The family said bringing the bodies back to the United States would have cost $7,000, and Mexican law required them to make a decision within two days.
