A robbery turned fatal for a retired Arizona couple. After they finished their service to the workforce, Jo Anne Butler, 69, and Ray Ball, 72, moved out of Prescott, Arizona. They decided to uproot to a more affordable area such as Mexico.

The couple relocated 380 miles south of the United States border. They chose an area that lies on the Gulf California known as Bahia de los Angeles. It is here they met their untimely demise.

Authorities called it a “botched robbery.” As a top government official, Octavio Lopez, told the San Diego Union-Tribune, “It was an attempted robbery, and an individual went to defend his property, and that’s when they shot him. This the first time we’ve had something like this happen.”

Reports say that gunshots were heard sometime around midnight. From there, an SUV was seen attempting to pull a 22-foot long fishing boat toward nearby water. Neighbors attest that the boat belonged to the victims who lived on the property. While they tried to pull the boat, the culprits were unable to successfully move it and left the boat behind.

After the suspects fled the scene, the bodies of the couple were found by off-racing champion, Roger Mears. Reports state that Ball received 18 gunshot wounds in total, while Butler was a victim of two shots in her legs.

Official details as to what caused the shooting have not been released. Neighbors speculate that Ball heard the suspects messing around with his boat. In an attempt to protect his property, neighbors claim that Ball went outside with a baseball bat in hand. As soon as Ball opened the back door to confront the thieves, the shootings commenced.

Another retired American, Tom Mitchell, also lives in the neighborhood. Shocked, he stated, “This was so out of character for our community. These “This was so out of character for our community. These guys didn’t hesitate to kill. They basically murdered both of them.”

As of press time, no arrests have been made in these gruesome murders.