‘She watched them die’ — survivor tells of Mex. kidnap ordeal
The two Americans who survived a kidnapping in Mexico, where two others were killed, returned to the U.S. with a harrowing tale.
Barbara McLeod Burgess told CNN her daughter LaTavia Washington McGee planned to return home to South Carolina on Wednesday. Burgess also said her daughter and her travel companions were searching for a medical clinic where McGee had a scheduled cosmetic surgery, when their minivan was struck by another vehicle. They tried to run when gunmen opened fire.
“They all got shot at the same time,” she said. “And she watched them die,” Burgess said of her daughter.
The quartet’s van was ambushed Friday morning south of the Texas border in Matamoros. U.S. officials believe McGee and her travel companions may have been mistaken for Haitian drug runners. A fifth person traveled with the the group, but didn’t have the documentation necessary to enter Mexico, according to MSNBC.
Mexican authorities identified the gunmen’s truck, according to CNN, which said all four victims were discovered in a house outside Matamoros, near the Gulf of Mexico, Tuesday. They’d moved to several locations. A man was reportedly guarding the house.
Eric Williams, who was shot three times in the attack that killed Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown, was reportedly treated for leg injuries in a Texas hospital. The bodies of Brown and Woodard, which were reportedly autopsied Wednesday, are also headed home.
The U.S. Department of State warns Americans “gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assault” are common in the gang-ridden area where the four Americans were attacked.
“Heavily armed members of criminal groups often patrol areas of the state and operate with impunity particularly along the border region from Reynosa to Nuevo Laredo,” according to a travel advisory issued in October.
Friends of the foursome reportedly said the clinic where McGee scheduled her appointment reached out to say she never showed up after calling to ask for directions. They, too, were unable to contact the victims.