Two of the four Americans kidnapped on March 3 in Mexico were found dead, officials announced Tuesday, while the other two victims have been found alive.
Tamaulipas Gov. Américo Villarreal said one of the surviving victims was found severely wounded while the other one was found unharmed. All four victims were located at a medical clinic in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, according to what a source told CNN.
A Mexican coroner is scheduled to complete autopsies on the deceased victims to determine the cause of death before their bodies are returned to the U.S.
“During this difficult time, I want to offer my deepest sympathies to the families of the Americans who were attacked and kidnapped,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said.
President Joe Biden’s administration will be working closely with the Mexican government to ensure justice is served to the fullest, the outlet reports.
A mother-of-6 identified as Latavia “Tay” Washington McGee, 33, drove to Mexico with her friends to undergo a medical procedure. She was accompanied by Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown, and someone identified only as Eric, according to what McGee’s mother, Barbara Burgess, told CNN.
The victims, according to Brown’s sister, Zalandria Brown, grew up together in South Carolina and are “bonded like glue.”
“Zindell is like my shadow, he’s like my son, he’s like my hip bone. We’re just tight like that,” she added.
So far, it’s unclear which victims were found dead.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the incident happened in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, when armed men opened fire on a white minivan with North Carolina license plates, as it crossed over the Mexico border. Afterward, the men allegedly pulled all four people out of the minivan and forced them into another vehicle.
Burgess reportedly said the FBI contacted her on Sunday and informed her that her daughter and her group are the ones that were kidnapped.
Meanwhile, officials continue to warn people that the area is a “Level 4 Do Not Travel.” The US State Department said that Tamaulipas, which is right across the Rio Grande at the Brownsville, Texas, border, has been riddled with kidnapping and other crimes.
“Criminal groups target public and private passenger buses, as well as private automobiles traveling through Tamaulipas, often taking passengers and demanding ransom payments,” the State Department advisory said.
The FBI urges anyone with additional information to call FBI San Antonio Division at 210-225-6741. Tips online should be sent to https://tips.fbi.gov. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: A member of the Mexican security forces stands next to a white minivan with North Carolina plates and several bullet holes, at the crime scene where gunmen kidnapped four U.S. citizens who crossed into Mexico from Texas, Friday, March 3, 2023. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the four Americans were going to buy medicine and were caught in the crossfire between two armed groups after they had entered Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas, on Friday. (AP Photo)]
