70 full-time missionaries reported safe after robbery incident at Torreón Mexico multi-zone conference

Seventy full-time missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are all safe following a serious incident during a Friday, Nov. 12, zone conference in Torreón, Mexico.

During the multi-zone conference at a local meetinghouse, two men entered armed with guns and demanded cell phones, tablets, and wallets, said Church spokesman Sam Penrod in a statement released later that night.

The robbers intimidated the 13 sisters and 57 elders, with a few hits or kicked during the incident. The mission president and his companion President Alfredo Zanudo and Sister Guadalupe Zanudo were also assaulted and threatened with a knife, Penrod said.

After the men fled the scene, local police were called, with no one needing additional medical care.

A Church counselor is traveling from Mexico City to assist with emotional needs, and other counseling options are being made available. Parents of the missionaries are being contacted by the Church, with the missionaries encouraged to contact their families.

Missionaries have been removed from the area where the incident occurred, and all have been instructed to be extra cautious, Penrod said, adding that a Church security office is in Torreón to evaluate the situation.

“Our prayers are with these missionaries and their families as they recover from this frightening and traumatic experience.”