2 kidnapped Americans found dead in Mexico, 2 survivors have returned to the US; victims identified: Live update
The two surviving Americans in a group of four violently abducted last week in Mexico returned to U.S. soil Tuesday, one of them with a leg wound not considered life-threatening.
Mexican authorities said the two other members of the group traveling for cosmetic surgery were killed Friday after getting caught in the crossfire of rival cartel groups in the border city of Matamoros in Tamaulipas state, just south of Brownsville, Texas.
Tamaulipas Gov. Americo Villarreal said the Americans, traveling in a white minivan, had crossed the border only 2 1/2 hours before the shooting occurred. A 33-year-old woman not linked to the group was killed by a stray bullet, he said.
Attorney General Irving Barrios said no ransom was demanded and all signs point to the U.S. travelers being the victims of mistaken identity. They were kidnapped after the attack and located Tuesday around 8 a.m. in a house outside Matamoros, Barrios said. A suspect who was standing guard over them has been arrested.
Barrios said the two deceased Americans – identified by authorities as Shaeed Woodard, 33, and Zindell Brown, in his mid-20s – are undergoing autopsies to determine the time and cause of death. They will be returned to the U.S. after that.
Both survivors, one of them unharmed, were rushed to the U.S. and taken to a hospital after a convoy of Mexican ambulances and SUVs was escorted by Mexican military Humvees, armored vehicles, state police and the National Guard. The injured survivor was identified as Eric Williams. The other one is Latavia Washington McGee.
Justice Department vows 'relentless' pursuit of those who perpetrated attack
Federal investigators believe the Americans were mistakenly targeted, and there was nothing to indicate they were in Mexico for any other purpose than a medical procedure, a person familiar with the investigation said.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the two surviving victims are receiving medical treatment in the United States.
“I want to offer my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims of this heinous attack. The Justice Department will be relentless in pursuing justice on their behalf,” Garland said.
-- Kevin Johnson
How did the kidnapping happen?
The Americans crossed the border in a minivan with North Carolina license plates, according to Mexican officials and Special Agent Oliver Rich, who is in charge of the FBI's San Antonio Division.
Sometime after, unidentified gunmen fired upon the occupants of the vehicle, and the four Americans were placed in a pickup and taken from the scene by the men.
A woman driving in Matamoros who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisal told The Associated Press she witnessed what appeared to be the shooting and abduction. The white minivan was hit by another vehicle near an intersection, then gunfire rang out, the woman said. Another SUV rolled up, and several armed men hopped out.
“All of a sudden (the gunmen) were in front of us,” she said. “I entered a state of shock, nobody honked their horn, nobody moved. Everybody must have been thinking the same thing: ‘If we move they will see us, or they might shoot us.’”
'We shouldn't go down': Why Americans had traveled to Mexico
Zalandria Brown of Florence, South Carolina, whose brother Zindell Brown was one of the two Americans killed, said the four had traveled from South Carolina so one of them could get a tummy tuck in Matamoros.
“This is like a bad dream you wish you could wake up from,” she told The Associated Press. “To see a member of your family thrown in the back of a truck and dragged, it is just unbelievable."
Brown said the group was extremely close and they all made the trip in part to split the driving. They were aware of the dangers in Mexico, she added, and her brother had expressed some misgivings.
“Zindell kept saying ‘We shouldn’t go down,’” Brown said.
Garland says US fighting to 'dismantle and disrupt' cartels
Attorney General Merrick Garland said Tuesday that he had been briefed on the status of the kidnapped Americans by the FBI, which was working with Mexican authorities along with officials from the Justice and State departments. He offered sympathies to the victims and their families.
Referring generally to the violence that the Mexican drug cartels have wrought, Garland said: "Look, the cartels are responsible for the deaths of Americans. ... We are fighting as hard as possible. The DEA and FBI are doing everything possible to dismantle and disrupt and ultimately prosecute the leaders of the cartels and the entire networks they depend on."
– Kevin Johnson
US working with Mexico on investigation
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday that the Biden administration is working with Mexico to learn more about the kidnapping.
“We're going to work closely with the Mexican government to ensure that justice is done in this case,” Kirby said, adding that the Justice Department was in contact with its Mexican counterpart. “Right now, our immediate concerns are for the safe return of our citizens, the health and the well-being of those who survived.”
Attacks on U.S. citizens "are unacceptable, no matter where, under what circumstances they occur," he said.
– Rebecca Morin
A TREK FOR HEALTH CARE:4 kidnapped Americans crossed into Mexico to purchase medicine, Mexican president says
Video appears to show attack
A video posted to social media Friday showed men with assault rifles and tan body armor loading the four people into the bed of a white pickup in broad daylight.
One was alive and sitting up, but the others appeared either dead or wounded. At least one person appeared to lift his head from the pavement before being dragged to the truck.
Mexican president blasts US media coverage
Mexico’s president complained about coverage of the incident in the U.S., accusing the media of sensationalizing the events.
“It’s not like that when they kill Mexicans in the United States, they go quiet like mummies,” Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said.
“It’s very unfortunate. They (the U.S. government) has the right to protest like they have,” he said. “We really regret that this happens in our country."
How is the US responding?
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said various U.S. justice agencies have been working with their Mexican law enforcement counterparts.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden was aware of the situation and is "closely following the assault and kidnapping."
She said the U.S. Department Homeland Security is also coordinating with Mexican authorities to "bring those responsible to justice."
Jean-Pierre declined to answer other questions, citing privacy concerns.
When the Americas were abducted, the FBI offered a $50,000 reward for any information leading to their return and the arrest of those responsible for the attack.
Matamoros, Tamaulipas under US travel advisories
The U.S. State Department has issued a Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory for U.S. citizens in Tamaulipas, citing crime and kidnapping there. The alert level is the same travel designation given to Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.
The kidnapping illustrates the terror that has prevailed for years in Matamoros, a city dominated by factions of the powerful drug cartels that often fight among themselves.
Amid the violence, thousands of Mexicans have disappeared in Tamaulipas state alone.
Attack may spur concerns among US travelers to Mexico
The kidnapping and killing of Americans visiting Mexico likely have travelers and at least one expert taking stock.
"I’m sure people will have some pause after such a graphic and horrible incident," Gabby Beckford, author of the travel blog Packs Light, told USA TODAY. "This will remind me not to be lax about my safety precautions and to always be mindful of my surroundings."
Mexico is one of the top destinations for Americans – nearly 29 million traveled to Mexico in 2021, according to data researcher Statista. Roughly 75 U.S. citizens died in Mexico by homicide that year, U.S. State Department statistics show.
Beckford, who spent two months traveling across Mexico last year and has visited Hildago, Mexico City, Cabo San Lucas and Oaxaca, said there are cities in Mexico where she feels “just as safe as some cities in the U.S.” But she said travelers should monitor advisories ahead of time and find online communities where they can likely get “the locals’ point of view on where to go, not to go, and travel safely.”
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