2 Yanks found dead in Mex.
Pair of others alive after bordertown kidnap on cosmetic surgery trip
Two Americans were discovered dead and two others were found alive after being kidnapped at gunpoint last week during a trip to Mexico for a cosmetic surgery, local officials announced Tuesday.
The group of four had traveled into the border city of Matamoros — where one visitor planned to undergo a tummy tuck procedure — when they were abducted Friday, according to a victim’s family member. The Americans were “placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men,” the FBI said.
The victims who died were identified by CNN as Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown. One survivor, Eric Williams, suffered a gunshot wound to his leg that was not life-threatening, said Tamaulipas State Gov. Americo Villarreal. Williams and an uninjured survivor, Latavia Washington McGee, were taken to Texas after being found in a guarded wooden shack.
Washington McGee’s mother told CNN it was her daughter’s second trip to Mexico for a cosmetic operation. Washington McGee traveled with the other three from the Carolinas.
They crossed into Matamoros in a white minivan, according to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, and were immediately met with gunfire. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said at the time “there was a confrontation between groups, and they were detained” but didn’t provide further details.
On Tuesday, Mexican Secretary of Security Rosa Icela Rodriguez told reporters one suspect was detained in connection with the kidnappings.
“Investigation and intelligence work continues to capture those responsible,” the office of the attorney general for Tamaulipas said in a statement.
The FBI previously offered a $50,000 reward for the victims’ return and the arrest of the kidnappers.
A video shared on social media shows a large group of assailants, most of them armed with assault rifles and wearing tan body armor, loading four people into the bed of a white pickup.
Authorities did not provide any additional details about where or how the victims were found.
“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.
Garland confirmed Tuesday he was briefed on the matter and that the FBI was working with the Justice and State departments, as well as Mexican authorities.
Brown’s sister Zalandria Brown said the victims grew up together and were bonded “like glue. This is like a bad dream you wish you could wake up from,” she said. “To see a member of your family thrown in the back of a truck and dragged, it is just unbelievable.”
Matamoros is one of the biggest cities in Tamaulipas. The State Department issued a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory for U.S. citizens considering a trip there, citing rampant crime and kidnapping. Thousands of Mexicans have disappeared in Tamaulipas amid violence perpetuated by local gangs.
Investigators believe the Americans were targeted by a Mexican cartel that likely mistook them for Haitian drug smugglers. An innocent Mexican bystander was also killed in the encounter, according to U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar.