FRANKFORT, Ind. — Eight Frankfort residents were killed in a crash while traveling in Mexico, police said.
In a social media post, the Frankfort Police Department said two siblings who attended Frankfort schools – Jocelyn Mejia Garcia and Jesus Mejia Garcia – were among those killed in the crash.
Their father, Guadalupe, and two other relatives – Fernando Garcia and Jesus Angeles – were also killed in the crash, as well as Maria Cuevas, Blanca Guzman and her 1-month-old baby, the department said.
“We have lost 8 of our family members, friends and Frankfort residents. Please keep the family in your prayers. Very sad situation. We need to honor their memory and ensure the families get the answers regarding the cause of the crash,” Frankfort Police Chief Scott Shoemaker said in a statement.
The Community Schools of Frankfort will have counselors available for friends, teachers and classmates of the students beginning April 17, police said.
Additional circumstances on the crash were not immediately released. Frankfort police said they were working to obtain more information from Mexican authorities.
The community is coming together over the group they call "the Frankfort 8."
On Wednesday, neighbors said the past 48 hours have been hard for the community.
"We really can't imagine what it would be like to lose eight people, eight family members," Jennifer Davis said.
According to Davis, a tragedy like this leaves a big hole in the heart of tightknit cities like Frankfort.
"The thing about a small community, everybody impacts everybody else all of the time. I think everyone in the community wants a way to try and figure out how to help them in the various ways. They are going to need it," Davis said.
Fundraisers are underway to help the families get their loved ones' remains back home.
"Some people are cooking, some people are designing, some people are making phone calls and running errands," Davis said.
Davis didn't know the victims personally but said she doesn't need to to show she cares.
"They're struggling. They want to get their family members home. They're mourning. It's been over the weekend, it's very fresh," Davis said.
She said they hope bringing their neighbors back home will be one step to their families finding some peace.
"It's great to be a part of a community that cares for one another. It's Black, white and Hispanic," Davis said. "This community is great, and I'm really proud to be a community member here. It's nice to see so many people so quickly come together for one reason or another. In this incident, it's a sad reason."