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Criminal investigators in northern Mexico say a suspect has been arrested and is under investigation for a possible connection with the deaths of nine family members — three women and six children — slaughtered Monday when cartel gunmen ambushed their vehicles.

In a statement posted on Facebook, the Agency for Criminal Investigation for the state of Sonora said Tuesday the suspect was found in the town of Agua Prieta, close to Arizona’s border, holding two hostages who were gagged and tied inside a white pickup truck. 

The suspect, whose gender was not specified in the release, was also found in possession of four assault rifles and ammunition, as well as various large vehicles including a bullet-proofed SUV. One of the vehicles was connected with a robbery in Phoenix, Arizona. 

Officials have said the gunmen might have mistaken the group’s large SUVs for those of a rival gang amid a vicious turf war.

“These acts in which women and children lost their lives makes it clear that we need a collaboration and a union of forces,” the statement said. “Criminality should be analyzed and combatted, not only in local protest, but also regional, national and transnational.” 

The family’s vehicles were sprayed with gunfire on a road near Rancho La Mora in a remote and mountainous area where the Sinaloa cartel has been engaged in a turf war with another gang.

It remains unknown whether the anti-crime reputation of the victims’ extended family influenced the attack on Monday morning. The victims — all dual U.S.-Mexican citizens — were related to the LeBaron family, whose members have clashed with drug traffickers over the years. One of them, Benjamin LeBaron, was murdered by the cartels in 2009 after he founded neighborhood patrols against them.