WA dad says daughter is 'hiding' in Puerto Vallarta amid unrest
WA families stuck in Mexico after cartel leader killed
A local woman is stuck in Mexico as violence breaks out after the killing of a cartel leader.
SEATTLE - As the destruction raged on in Puerto Vallarta on Sunday, a worried father got a text message saying his daughter was hiding in the heart of the chaos.
"The first text message came in at around 3:30 this afternoon," he said. "The text she sent, talking about, ‘the whole city is on fire, and we are hiding at home."
He didn't want to share his identity for safety reasons but says his daughter, who is an adult, had gone there on vacation and Sunday described to him an unimaginable scene.
"She said, ‘They are burning down cell phone towers,’" he said. "'The cartel came and the buses and the cars and set them on fire and the buildings'."
He says his daughter told him there were many areas Sunday night that remained unsafe.
"'The cartel are outside right now watching the citizens and making sure the military does not come in. The police are not here to help. We are hiding,'" he said, describing her texts.
A view of a burning truck, allegedly set on fire by organised crime groups in response to an operation to arrest a high-priority security target, on a highway near Acatlan de Juarez, Jalisco state, Mexico on February 22, 2026. The Mexican army announ
Tourists were told not to leave their resort Sunday as government officials warned of clashes in the area following a federal operation.
Many flights were canceled Sunday night out of the Puerto Vallarta airport. Video also showed people running out of the Guadalajara Airport as unrest was reported in that area as well.
We talked to a man at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport who was flying in from Mexico City. That city was not impacted.
"Hopefully everything is going to get settled," he said upon arrival in Seattle.
He's grateful everything went well on his flight. He does have friends in Puerto Vallarta who told him they are staying home and have been texting him.
"It’s a very complicated situation. Of course, we don’t know much about the details. We are just here for our families, for our friends," he said.
Meantime, the dad we talked to on Sunday says he can only watch and wait for texts to come in from his daughter.
"I hope the US government will help," he said. "I really pray for her safety."
The Source: Information in this story came from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle.
MORE NEWS ON FOX 13 SEATTLE
High profile bills in Olympia die with just weeks to go
Democrat policy researchers develop plan to cap grocery prices
Man charged in arson, assault at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center
Who could buy the Seattle Seahawks as franchise could sell for $8B
Inside Mike Macdonald’s decision to trust Brian Fleury as new Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.