An American couple on their first trip away from their four-year-old son have told their family members where their will is hidden after becoming trapped in Mexico.

The unnamed couple were on vacation in Puerto Vallarta when the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel was killed by the Mexican military on Sunday, prompting widespread violence across the region.

‘I had to call my mom today and, you know, just tell her, “Look, here’s where my will is. We just created this. I don’t want you to panic, but I may need you to stay a couple days extra with my son,”‘ the concerned father told Fox Digital. 

‘This is the first time we’ve ever been away from him. My wife was saying, “We’re never leaving him again.”‘

Authorities in Jalisco, Michoacan and Guanajuato reported at least 14 people were killed Sunday, including seven National Guard troops as videos circulating on social media showed tourists walking on beaches with smoke rising in the distance.

The US State Department has issued a shelter in place order due to ‘ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity’ that encompasses vacation hotspots like Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum. 

But tourists trapped at resorts in those cities have warned the hotels are down to ‘the last bit of food,’ with one guest claiming they are ‘just sort of surviving off of granola bars.’

Tourists reported that hotel kitchens and nearby restaurants are shutdown, according to CNN, leaving many worried about where they will get food in the coming days. 

Some vacationers who had early Sunday morning flights managed to get home, but others are now locked down at the airport after most domestic and international flights were canceled in both Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta. 

Smoke billows from burning vehicles amid a wave of violence, with torched vehicles and gunmen blocking highways in more than half a dozen states on Sunday following the killing of cartel boss Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes

National Guards remove pedestrians by the General Prosecutor’s headquarters in Mexico City on Sunday after the death of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho

The Puerto Vallarta International Airport has descended into chaos after after most domestic and international flights were canceled

Cartel boss Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as ‘El Mencho,’ was killed during a shoot-out in his home state of Jalisco as the Mexican military attempted to capture him.  

Oseguera Cervantes was the leader of one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico, notorious for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine to the US and staging brazen attacks against government officials who challenged it.

Following his death, gunmen unleashed violence across the country. Cars burned out by cartel members blocked roads in 20 Mexican states and left smoke billowing into the air. 

People locked themselves in their homes in Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city and Jalisco’s capital, and school was canceled Monday in several states as security forces were placed on alert all over the country. 

Even Guatemala reinforced security on its border with Mexico.

American tourists have now found themselves trapped in the country, witnessing what they have described as ‘war breaking out in the streets.’

Some hotel guests were allegedly forced to evacuate their rooms and were told to find their own meals at off-site restaurants and shops. 

One vacationer, who was forced to evacuate from his rented Airbnb in Puerto Vallarta, told Fox Digital how he woke up to the sound of blaring car horns and saw six vehicles completely engulfed in flames.

People wait at Puerto Vallarta International Airport which is operating with limited personnel because of the burst of violence

While no airports are closed, a majority of flights have been cancelled and roadblocks are impacting airline operations. Travelers are seen on the runway at Puerto Vallarta International Airport on Sunday

Pedestrians walk past a charred vehicle after it was set on fire, on a road in Cointzio, Michoacán state, Mexico on Sunday

Firefighters work to extinguish flames from buses set on fire by members of organized crime in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on Sunday

‘They told the people to leave,’ he said of the suspected cartel members who were dousing the cars with fuel. ‘Then they were taking the gas and pouring the gas on the vehicle and waiting until everybody was clear before they were setting it on fire.’ 

American tourist Katy Holloman, from El Dorado Hills, took to Facebook to speak of her ordeal after she was told to shelter in her hotel as it was safer than attempting a journey to the airport.

‘The road is closed due to the cartel. There’s no flights going out of the airport to the States. We’ve rescheduled them for tomorrow afternoon, really hoping we make it home,’ she said in a video.

‘Just going to pray we make it home tomorrow. This is unprecedented here; the hotel staff have been saying this has never happened before.’

Another tourist, Dan Smith, from the Palm Springs area, shared a shocking clip of what appeared to be him running down a staircase as alarms rang out in the background while a Mexican woman ordered him outside.

He said in a video clip: ‘We’re evacuating the building, propane tanks have exploded. Hoping the building doesn’t catch on fire.’ 

His brother Richard uploaded more footage from Daniel showing a bus in flames and other blazing vehicles blocking the roads of Puerto Vallarta.

He said: ‘Please keep good thoughts for my brother Daniel. Puerto Vallarta is under siege. He is stuck downtown, and all roads in and out are closed off. He can’t get home. 

‘Luckily, there are some friends downtown where he can hang out. Although it’s been evacuated once already. The drug cartel is p***** off.’ 

A San Diego tourist, James Stephens, posted chilling footage of a Costco store up in flames and revealed the whole city had been locked down.

He said: ‘Stuck in Puerto Vallarta as the cartel is attempting to take over the city. Entire city shut down. Can’t get out. Crazy right? We’re safe.’ 

American tourist Katy Holloman, from El Dorado Hills, took to Facebook to speak of her ordeal after she was told to shelter in her hotel as it was safer than attempting a journey to the airport

Dan Smith, from the Palm Springs area, shared a shocking clip of what appeared to be him running down a staircase as alarms rang out in the background

Army soldiers patrol guard the National Palace ahead of the daily, morning news conference by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in Mexico City on Monday

A charred vehicle sits at a damaged supermarket in Guadalajara, Jalisco state on Sunday

The US Embassy in Mexico has urged Americans to shelter in place, minimize unnecessary movements and avoid areas with law enforcement activity.

The embassy noted that while no airports are closed, a majority of flights have been cancelled and roadblocks are impacting airline operations. Airports are also operating with limited personnel because of the burst of violence.

All ride share services were suspended in Puerto Vallarta and operations have been temporarily curtailed on toll roads across the region due to blockades.

The killing of Oseguera Cervantes could give the Mexican government a boost in its dealings with the Trump administration, which has been threatening tariffs or unilateral military action if Mexico does not show results in the fight against the cartels.

But the long-term effect on Mexico’s security landscape remains unclear.  

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has urged calm and local authorities announced late Sunday they had cleared most of the more than 250 cartel roadblocks across 20 states.

Many locals and tourists alike remain hunkered down and on edge as they wait to see the powerful cartel’s reaction to their leader’s death.

The White House has confirmed that the US provided intelligence support to the operation to capture the cartel leader and applauded Mexico’s army for taking down a man who was one of the most wanted criminals in both countries.

Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes was killed by Mexican federal forces on Sunday, according to high-ranking officials who spoke with local publications

National Guards patrol the area outside of the General Prosecutor’s headquarters in Mexico City on Sunday after the killing of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader

A view of a burning truck, allegedly set on fire by organized crime groups in response to an operation to arrest El Mencho which led to his death

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said via X that ‘”El Mencho” was a top target for the Mexican and United States government as one of the top traffickers of fentanyl into our homeland,’ and commended Mexico’s military for its work. 

US Ambassador Ron Johnson recognized the success of the Mexican armed forces and their sacrifice in a statement late Sunday. He added that ‘under the leadership of President Trump and President Sheinbaum, bilateral cooperation has reached unprecedented levels.’ 

Oseguera Cervantes, who was wounded in the operation to capture him Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco, about a two-hour drive southwest of Guadalajara, died while being flown to Mexico City, the Defense Department said in a statement.

During the operation, troops came under fire and killed four people at the location. Three more people, including Oseguera Cervantes, were wounded and later died, the statement said.

The US State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of Oseguera Cervantes. 

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is one of the most powerful and fastest growing criminal organizations in Mexico and began operating around 2009. In February 2025, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.