Details of reported Mexico killings of Utah couple remain unclear nearly 2 weeks later

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SALT LAKE CITY — American and Mexican authorities are releasing few details nearly two weeks after a Utah man and his wife reportedly were shot and killed in Mexico.

Paul Nielsen, 52, and his wife, Janet Vasquez, were killed July 18 while traveling in the Mexican state of Guerrero, according to his obituary and a statement from the Nielsen family. The couple’s 12-year-old son, Kevin, also was with them, but had only minor injuries, the family said.

“Our family is absolutely devastated over the loss of our dad,” the family said in the statement dated July 27. “We were very close to him. His family was his world, and he wasn’t just our father he was one of our best friends.”

The U.S. Department of State said Tuesday in an emailed statement that the agency was “aware of reports of the death of an American citizen in Guerrero, Mexico,” but did not identify Nielsen or Vasquez by name.

“We are closely monitoring local authorities’ investigation into the cause of death,” the department’s statement said. “We stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance.”

Further details about the deaths remain unclear. Emails to the Mexico Consulate in Salt Lake City seeking comment were not answered on Tuesday.

In the statement, the family released details shared by Kevin, who they say was present for the deaths.

The family was driving through Guerrero on the way to the town of Zihuatanejo, where they had planned to take a vacation, according to the statement.

While Nielsen was driving, three vehicles began chasing them, and Vasquez said they were going to be assaulted, the statement said. Nielsen accelerated, Kevin heard shots fired, and Nielsen lost control of the car, which went off the road, according to the family’s statement.

The people in the three vehicles pulled Nielsen, Vasquez and Kevin out of their car, robbed them and put them back in one of the vehicles that had been chasing the family, according to the family.

A report from the Mexican news outlet Reforma says the vehicles were occupied by a group of armed men.

It is not clear when during the encounter Nielsen and Vasquez were killed, the family’s statement says.

Paul Nielsen (left) with a family member. (Photo: Nielsen Family)

The group that had pursued the family drove them to another location and then left Kevin, along with the bodies of his parents, at the side of the road, according to the family’s statement. Kevin attempted to flag down passing cars for help, but no one responded until state police arrived, the statement says.

A July 18 report from Mexican news outlet SDPnoticias indicates that Nielsen and Vasquez may have been killed after they passed a checkpoint installed by community police in the town of Petatlán.

The report says Vasquez was originally from Mexico. The family said she and Nielsen had been married for about three years.

Nielsen split his time between the U.S. and Mexico, because immigration was not a “reasonable option” for the couple, according to the family’s statement.

Kevin is now staying with relatives, the family said. Though some news reports said he had been shot, that is not true, the statement said. The family added that he is “very traumatized” and has not been able to share the full story.

The family said they do not know much about the status of the investigation, but were told that the governments of both countries were working to find the killers.

The State Department currently advises citizens not to travel to several areas in Mexico, including Guerrero, “due to crime,” according to the agency’s website.

The family acknowledges that in the statement, saying that although Nielsen was normally a cautious person, he must not have seen the travel advisory.

Nielsen’s funeral is scheduled for Saturday in South Jordan, according to his obituary.

“We are so grateful for the outpouring of love that we’ve had over the last week and a half,” the family said. “There were wonderful people that worked day and night to help bring our dad back home, including legal professionals and government officials in both Mexico and the U.S. There have been many others who have reached out to support us both emotionally and financially."