Two out of the four U.S. citizens who were kidnappedduring a gunfight in the Mexican city of Matamoros are dead after they reportedly crossed the border to seek a cosmetic surgery.
Americo Villarreal — the governor of Tamaulipas — said during a news conference that “two of them are dead, one person is injured and the other is alive,” according toBBC. The United States has not officially confirmed the deaths.
According to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, one person has been arrested,ABC reports.
According toCNN, a U.S. official familiar with the investigation told the outlet that the Americans were found at a medical clinic in Matamoros, and one of the two survivors is severely injured.
One of the Americans was heading to Mexico for stomach tuck surgery,The New York Timesreported.Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador had previously said the group traveled to Mexico for health care. “The information we have is that they crossed the border to buy medicines in Mexico, there was a confrontation between groups and they were detained,” he said.
The U.S. citizens were in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates when they crossed into the northeastern state of Tamaulipas from the Texas city of Brownsville on March 3.
Agraphic video that purportedly shows the violent kidnappinghas been posted to social media. It shows men wearing what appear to be bullet-proof vests as they drag people across a road and into the back of a white pickup truck.
The four kidnapped Americans have been identified as Latavia “Tay” McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown and Eric James Williams, according toABC News.
Shaeed Woodard, Latavia Washington McGee, Eric Williams and Zindell Brown.Facebook (4)
Zalandria Brown spoke toTheNew York Timesafter learning her younger brother Zindell Brown was one of the four people kidnapped. “To see a member of your family thrown in the back of a truck and dragged, it is just unbelievable,” she said. Brown said one of the group wasgetting stomach tuck surgery in Mexico, and the three others were traveling with them.
In a statement, Ambassador Salazarsaid the identities of the gunmen were not known. “We have no greater priority than the safety of our citizens — this is the US government’s most fundamental role. U.S. law enforcement officials from numerous agencies are working withMexican authoritiesat all levels of government to secure the safe return of our compatriots.”
TheU.S. Department of State travel advisory lists Tamaulipas State under theDo Not Travel Tosectiondue to crime and kidnapping. The advice says the area is known for organized crime activity including “gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assault.” The advice states that “criminal groups target public and private passenger buses, as well as private automobiles.”
The situation in Matamoros is so dangerous that Government employees may only travel within a limited radius around the U.S. consulate and their homes, as well as the border crossing and some limited downtown sites. There is also an overnight curfew for government employees.
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Matamoros and the state of Tamaulipas are infamous for violence related to drug trafficking. The city is home to theGulf Cartel, one of the most well-established illicit drug networks in the country. The Gulf Cartel is known for its ruthlessness and for terrorizing the local population.
STR/AP/Shutterstock
However, the presence of violent cartels has not dissuaded many U.S. citizens from crossing the border to seek affordable health care. Americans regularly visit Mexico to access dentists, pharmacies, optometrists and cosmetic surgeries,TheWashington Postreports.
The public is urged to call FBI San Antonio Division at 210-225-6741 with any information regarding the kidnapped U.S. citizens. Tips can also be submitted online athttps://tips.fbi.gov.
source: people.com
