Four Americans kidnapped in Mexico found: two killed, survivors in hospital

Two of the four Americans who were abducted on March 3 by armed gunmen in a Mexican border town have been found dead, while two have been found alive. CNN.

Photo: IStock

Mexican officials have released no information about who died and who survived.

In a telephone conversation with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villarreal Anaya said that "ambulance and security personnel" are currently visiting and providing medical care to the surviving victims.

The four Americans who authorities say were abducted in Mexico were in what looked like a medical clinic in the border town of Matamoros, a US official familiar with the investigation said.

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This was announced by the Attorney General of Tamaulipas, Irving Barrios.

“As a result of joint searches, four American citizens who were abducted on March 3 were found,” he said. “Unfortunately, two people were dead.” Investigative and intelligence work continues to catch the perpetrators. Details will be announced later."

The news comes days after a group of Americans were kidnapped at gunpoint in Matamoros in what is believed to have been a mistake.

The four Americans were a group of friends traveling from South Carolina to Mexico. One of them, a mother of six, was due to undergo a medical procedure in Mexico, two family members said. According to the FBI, after crossing the border, they were fired upon by unknown gunmen, "they were put in a car and taken away from the scene by armed men."

Investigators believe the Americans were targeted by a Mexican cartel that likely mistook them for Haitian drug smugglers, a US official familiar with the investigation said. According to the official, the abducted US citizens do not have a criminal record.

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According to US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar, an innocent Mexican bystander was also killed in the clash.

Latavia "Tay" Washington McGee, 33, traveled to Mexico with Shaid Woodard, Zindell Brown and their friend Eric Williams for a medical procedure, but she never made it to the doctor's appointment on March 3, her mother Barbara Burgess said.

Their kidnapping highlights the ongoing violence that has engulfed some Mexican cities during the long-running Mexican War on Drugs, as well as the growing "medical tourism" business.

Matamoros, a city in the state of Tamaulipas with a population of over 500, is located across the Rio Grande from Brownsville, Texas.

The US State Department issued a "Level 4: Do Not Travel" warning for US citizens planning to travel to Tamaulipas, citing crime and kidnapping.

According to Barrios Mojica, Mexican federal and local governments were involved in efforts to find Americans and set up a joint task force to liaise with US officials.

Mother of 6 was on her way to a medical procedure

According to Latavia's mother, the trip was the second time that Washington McGee, a mother of six, went to Mexico for a medical procedure.

Burgess said she traveled to Mexico for surgery about two to three years ago.

“After the kidnapping, the FBI told me if she called, I would have to call them right away,” Latavia's mother said.

Receipts found in the group's vehicle indicate the Americans were in Mexico for medical procedures, a US official with knowledge of the investigation said. Mexican President López Obrador said on March 6 that the group had crossed the border to "buy medicine" and assured that "the entire government" was working to solve the case.

A close friend of Washington McGee, who wished to remain anonymous, said the trip was due to cosmetic surgery. According to a friend, the group had booked a hotel in Brownsville and planned to travel to Matamoros for the operation.

Mexico has become a particularly popular destination for "medical tourism", attracting travelers who may be looking for cheaper alternatives or medical procedures that are not approved or not available in the US. But the CDC warns that the growing trend could carry dangerous risks depending on the destination and institution, including infection and possible post-procedure complications.

The Americans who were kidnapped by the gunmen grew up together in South Carolina and were longtime best friends, Brown's sister Zalandria Brown said. She added that she and her brother are also close.

“Zindell is like my shadow, like my son, like a part of me. We're just very united," she said.

"We don't know if she's alive or dead"

Washington McGee's aunt, Mary McFadden, said that when the family did not hear from a group of friends, they began to search the Internet for any news related to their travel destination. The family then saw the video, which McFadden described as her niece being kidnapped.

“We recognized her by her blond hair,” McFadden said. She said she also recognized her niece's outfit from a video that Washington McGee posted to Facebook earlier on March 3.

“It happened in broad daylight. We don't know if she's alive or dead. In the last footage we saw, she was walking alive,” McFadden said.

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"She's a mother and we need her to come back here to her kids," she said, adding that Washington McGee's kids are between 6 and 18 years old.

The video shows the woman and other unidentified men being roughly loaded into a white pickup truck.

The video shows two unidentified men pulling and pushing a woman into the back of a truck, while a third armed man watches. Then the three men appear to be dragging at least two more limp people into the back of the truck.

According to the FBI in San Antonio, the US citizens were traveling in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates.

• 4 US citizens went missing March 3 following an attack and kidnapping in Matamoros, Mexico.
• State Department released warning about the dangers of holidays in Mexico.

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