A married couple from Utah was fatally shot in Mexico in front of their 12-year-old son, multiple outlets are reporting.

Citing local news outlets in Mexico, the New York Post reports that Paul Nielsen, 52, and Janeth Vázquez, 43, were in Petatlan on their way to a beach resort with their son Kevin early Thursday morning when they reportedly failed to stop at a checkpoint.

The family had reportedly been ordered to stop by a group of armed men, and when they did not exit the vehicle as ordered, all three were shot. Nielsen and Vázquez were reportedly shot in the head, and the 12-year-old boy survived a gunshot but had a nervous breakdown and was taken to the hospital, according to the New York Post.

Nielsen’s sister-in-law confirmed the deaths to KUTV, and said that family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to bring her brother’s body back to the United States. A message on the campaign page says that transporting the body is expected to be a “huge ordeal.”

According to the New York Post, Vázquez is originally from Mexico and it is not clear at this time if her remains will be transported to the United States.

Guerrero Gov. Hector Astudillo Flores has reportedly condemned the killings, describing them as reprehensible.

This is a developing story. CrimeOnline will provide further updates when more information is available.

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[Feature image: David Mark from Pixabay]