Mexico kidnapping — live: Gulf drug cartel blamed for Matamoros tourist attack as victim’s warning revealed

The two Americans who survived a horror kidnapping in the cartel-dominated region of Matamoros, Mexico, are now back on US soil – while the bodies of their two slain friends are set to be repatriated.

Latavia “Tay” McGee and Eric James Williams are currently undergoing treatment in a hospital in Texas after they were rescued from a drug cartel “stash house” on Tuesday.

Mexican officials are carrying out autopsies on the bodies of their two friends Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown before their bodies will be returned to the US.

The shocking incident began on Friday when the group of four friends travelled to Matamoros for Ms McGee to undergo a tummy tuck procedure. Video showed the group being thrown into a truck by armed men in broad daylight after a shootout, prompting a days-long search.

But before embarking on the fateful trip, Brown told his sister Zalandria Brown that he was worried about the dangers of visiting the cartel-dominated area.

“Zindell kept saying, ‘We shouldn’t go down,’” Ms Brown told the Associated Press. “To see a member of your family thrown in the back of a truck and dragged, it is just unbelievable.”

Key Points

• Four Americans kidnapped at gunpoint in Tamaulipas on Friday

• FBI appeals for public’s help in identifying assailants

• Video of violence in Matamoros emerges

• Americans crossed border to buy medicine, Mexican president says

• Innocent Mexican citizen killed in incident

Slain kidnapping victim Shaeed Woodard had joined cousin on ‘tummy tuck’ trip

23:17 , Andrea Blanco

Shaeed Woodard’s aunt Betty McGill said in an interview on Tuesday that he and Ms McGee shared a bond beyond friendship: They were cousins.

Ms McGill described the slain man as someone who was quiet but always down to help his friends and loved ones.

“It’s just shocking,” Ms McGill’s son Hakquan Burgess told NewsNation. “It’s like, I can’t believe it.”

Shaeed Woodard was identified as one of the four Americans kidnapped

The survivors and deceased victims were found at a “stash house” guarded by Jose Guadalupe “N,” 24, who has been arrested and charged in the case, Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villarreal told a press conference.

Mexican authorities announced on Wednesday that the autopsies on Woodard and Brown’s bodies were finalised and that they were coordinating with US officials to repatriate the remains.

Sources close to the investigation believe that the group was mistaken for drug smugglers by the cartel, according to CNN. No ramson was requested by the kidnappers, Mr Villareal said.

Mexican authorities coordinating repatriation of slain American tourists’ bodies

22:18 , Andrea Blanco

The bodies of two Americans killed in Matamoros, Mexico, will be repatriated after local authorities conduct forensic evaluations, a source close to the investigation told CNN.

Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villareal said on a televised call with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador that two individuals, Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown, were killed.

Two other American citizens, one unharmed and one wounded, are back on US soil

Mexican authorities say ‘Clan del Golfo’ cartel likely behind the attack

20:56 , Andrea Blanco

Governor of Tamaulipas Américo Villarreal said during a press conference that the group was moved from different locations, including a clinic, during the three days that their kidnapping lasted in an attempt to throw off investigators.

Mr Villareal said that the “Clan del Golfo” is the cartel known to operate and control the area. Tamaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios Mojica also said that Mexican officials believe members of the Gulf drug cartel are behind the attack.

A suspect, 24-year-old Jose N, has been arrested. The man was tasked with making sure that the victims didn’t escape and he was captured at the scene, Mr Villareal said.

A member of the Mexican security forces stands next to a white minivan with North Carolina plates and several bullet holes

At an early press conference on Tuesday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador claimed that the tragedy will be seized by the American media to portray Mexico as a dangerous country, in stark contrast with their “silence when Mexicans are killed in the US.”

He went on to say that GOP politicians will also use the crime as an opportunity to push “their agenda.”

“We continue to work every day towards peace and are very sorry that this has happened in our country,” President López Obrador said. “We send our condolences to the victims’ friends and family and the American people. And we will continue to work towards peace.”

A group of childhood friends took a trip to Mexico. Only two made it out alive

20:09 , Andrea Blanco

LaTavia “Tay” McGee and Eric survived a terrifying abduction in Matamoros, but by the time Mexican authorities rescued them from a “stash house” four days later, their friends Zindell Brown and Shaeed Woodard had been killed before their eyes.

The Independent has more:

A group of childhood friends took a trip to Mexico. Only two made it out alive

Republicans call for military intervention in Mexico

19:40 , Andrea Blanco

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told Fox News that he would introduce legislation to “set the stage” for using military force in Mexico to combat the drug cartel.

Mr Graham made the remarks on Jesse Watters’s show on Monday evening, saying he would “introduce legislation to make certain Mexican drug cartels foreign terrorist organizations under US law and set the stage to use military force if necessary.”

The Independent’s Eric Garcia has the story:

PICTURED: First suspect arrested in Matamoros kidnapping

18:57 , Andrea Blanco

A picture of Jose Guadalupe “N” the person detained in the rescue operation is displayed during a press conference to give details after two American citizens were found dead in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, at Auditorium of Secretaria de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana on March 07, 2023 in Mexico City, Mexico.

Mexico kidnappings: What we know about the abduction of four US citizens in Matamoros

18:33 , Andrea Blanco

Four American citizens who were ambushed and kidnapped at gunpoint in Mexico have been found - two of them alive and two dead, according to officials.

Here’s everything we know about the attack:

What we know about the Mexico kidnapping of four US citizens

Zindell Brown had been wary about travelling to Mexico

17:46 , Andrea Blanco

Zindell Brown, one of the two Americans killed in the kidnapping, was concerned about the risks involved in travelling to Mexico, his sister told the Associated Press.

“Zindell kept saying, ‘We shouldn’t go down,’” Zalandria Brown told the news organisation.

And she added: “This is like a bad dream you wish you could wake up from. To see a member of your family thrown in the back of a truck and dragged, it is just unbelievable.”

White House reacts to fatal kidnappings of American citizens in Mexico

17:10 , Andrea Blanco

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday that any attacks on American citizens under any circumstances were unacceptable.

Ms Jean-Pierre said more information will be released after family members of the two fatal victims and two kidnapping survivors are updated by US officials on any developments made in the case. She also noted that the Biden administration remains committed to “disrupting transnational criminal organizations including Mexican drug cartels and human smugglers.”

“We remain committed to applying the full weight of our efforts and resources to counter them,” Ms Jean-Pierre said.

“Right now. our immediate concerns are for the safe return of our citizens, the health and well-being of those who survived this attack, and the support which must be rendered to the families of those who need it.”

Zindell Brown had voiced fears about travelling to Mexico

16:09 , Andrea Blanco

The two Americans who survived a horror kidnapping in the cartel-dominated region of Matamoros, Mexico, are now back on US soil – while the bodies of their two slain friends are set to be repatriated.

Latavia “Tay” McGee and Eric James Williams are currently undergoing treatment in a hospital in Texas after they were rescued from a drug cartel “stash house” on Tuesday. Zindell Brown and Shaeed Woodward were named as the fatal victims.

Brown, Woodward and Mr Williams reportedly tagged along to help Ms McGee share driving duties as she was planning to undergo a tummy tuck procedure she had booked with a local plastic surgeon.

But before embarking on the trip that would prove fatal for him, Brown told his sister Zalandria Brown that he was worried about the dangers of visiting the cartel-dominated area.

“Zindell kept saying, ‘We shouldn’t go down,’” Ms Brown told the Associated Press.

Survivors ‘saw their friends die'

15:30 , Andrea Blanco

Two Americans who survived a kidnapping by members of a Mexican cartel reportedly saw their friends die.

The mother of Latavia “Tay” McGee has said his daughter saw her two friends, Shaeed Woodward and Zindell Broown, die.

“I got my daughter and she’s alive,” Barbara McLeod Burgess told WPDE. “She watched two of them die. They [died] in front of her.”

Autopsies finalised on Wednesday morning

15:00 , Andrea Blanco

The bodies of the two Americans killed in Mexico have been examined by forensic authorities in the country, sources close to the investigation told CNN.

Officials said on Tuesday that once the autopsies were completed, the bodies would be repatriated to the US.

A cause and manner of death have not been revealed at this time.

The two deceased individuals have been identified as Zindell Brown and Shaeed Woodard. Two other people who were travelling with the fatal victims, Latavia “Tay” McGee and Eric James Williams have returned to the US.

Four kidnapped Americans were ‘childhood friends'

14:30 , Rachel Sharp

The four Americans had known each other their whole lives before they embarked on a fatal trip to Mexico that ended with two of their deaths.

Eric James Williams’ wife said that he, Latavia McGee, Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown were all “childhood friends”.

“All of them have known each other all their lives,” Michelle Williams told NBC News. “They’re childhood friends.”

The group of friends had travelled from South Carolina to Matamoros together so that Ms McGee could get a tummy tuck at a Mexican clinic.

Not long after arriving into Mexico, they were ambushed by armed gunmen and kidnapped.

On Tuesday, the four friends were found. Mr Williams and Ms McGee were found alive while Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown were dead.

PICTURED: Who were the four US citizens kidnapped in Mexico?

14:00 , Rachel Sharp

SURVIVED: LaTavia McGee was found unharmed and is recovering in Texas:

SURVIVED: Eric James Williams is recovering in a hospital in Texas after being shot three times in the leg:

KILLED: Shaeed Woodard was killed in the ambush and kidnapping:

KILLED: Zindell Brown was found dead on Tuesday:

Cartel moved kidnapped Americans multiple times to evade authorities

13:30 , Rachel Sharp

The suspected drug cartel members who kidnapped and killed American tourists in Mexico are believed to have moved the victims multiple times in order to evade authorities.

On Friday, the group of four friends were ambushed by armed men and kidnapped as they travelled to Matamoros to go to a tummy tuck clinic.

Their abduction sparked a huge incident with US and Mexican authorities working to locate the US citizens and bring them home safely. The FBI offered a $50,000 reward for their return and the arrest of those responsible.

Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villarreal announced on Tuesday that – in the four days that they were missing – the kidnappers moved the group to several places “to create confusion and avoid rescue efforts”.

On Tuesday, they were finally found in a “stash house” in Matamoros.

Victims Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown were found dead at the scene while Latavia McGee and Eric Williams survived and are now back on US soil.

Wife of American tourist who survived Mexico cartel kidnapping says she didn’t even know he’d left US

13:00 , Rachel Sharp

The wife of an American tourist who survived the horror kidnapping by a notorious Mexican drug cartel has revealed that she didn’t even know he had left the US.

Eric James Williams and his friend Latavia “Tay” McGee were rescued from a drug cartel “stash house” on Tuesday, four days after they were kidnapped by armed gunmen in Matamoros, Mexico, while on their way to a tummy tuck clinic.

Their two friends Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown were killed in the horror attack.

Mr Williams’ wife Michelle has now spoken out to reveal that she hadn’t even known he was crossing the border into Mexico – and a border city largely ruled by the Gulf drug cartel.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the story:

Wife of American who survived Mexico cartel kidnapping didn’t even know he’d left US

PICTURED: The rescue of the kidnapped Americans

12:30 , Rachel Sharp

Authorities on the scene of the cartel “stash house” where the bodies of the two victims were found:

Two FBI vehicles escort two Brownsville Fire Department EMS ambulances containing the two survivors to Brownsville, Texas:

The car in which the four Americans were kidnapped by armed gunmen:

Soldiers stand guard outside the Forensic Medical Service morgue building after the bodies of the two victims were recovered:

Four friends set off for a tummy tuck. Now two are dead at the hands of a Mexican drug cartel

12:00 , Rachel Sharp

Four American citizens who were ambushed and kidnapped at gunpoint in Mexico have been found – two of them alive and two dead, according to officials.

Family members first identified the Americans as LaTavia “Tay” McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown and Eric James Williams, who had travelled from South Carolina so that Ms McGee could undergo a tummy tuck procedure.

Officials said the group crossed the US border into Mexico on 3 March. Not long after entering Matamoros – an area dominated by the Gulf cartel – they came under fire from a group of armed men and were bundled into the back of a pickup truck.

On Tuesday, Mexican authorities announced that two of the victims had been found dead, while two survivors, one injured and one unharmed, are now back in the US and in the care of the FBI.

At least one person has been arrested, according to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Here’s everything we know about the terrifying case so far.

Victim’s family shares GoFundMe

11:30 , Rachel Sharp

The family of Zindell Brown has shared a GoFundMe page to help them pay for expenses in the aftermath of his death.

“Hi, my name is Zalayna Brown Grant. I am the older sister of Zindell Brown who was among the 4 Americans who were kidnapped and later found in Mexico. We just received information from the FBI that Zindell passed away,” the campaign reads.

“On March 3, 2023, my brother and three other friends entered Matamoros, Mexico. My brother went as support for his friend Latavia McGee who was going to get surgery in Mexico. Shortly after entering Mexico from Brownsville, Texas, their vehicle was caught up in the crossfire of two different cartels at war. After what appears to have been a car accident, the 4 Americans were then loaded onto the back of a white GMC pickup truck and taken away. Our family waited for any news about my brother’s return, but he won’t be coming home alive.

“My family is trying to raise funds for the final expenses of my brother Zindell Brown. We are still working with the authorities to understand when Zindell’s body will be released and sent to us here in South Carolina. From there, we were told that we may have to pay for a second autopsy ourselves. As a family, we are not prepared for all of the unexpected costs due to this sudden tragedy.

“Zindell was a loving son, brother, uncle and friend. We hope to give him the goodbye that he deserves. Our family is grieving and we appreciate any prayers and support from the community during this time.”

Wife of survivor didn’t even know he had left US

11:00 , Rachel Sharp

The wife of one of the two Americans who survived the kidnapping in Mexico has revealed that she didn’t even know he had left the US.

Eric James Williams and Latavia “Tay” McGee were found alive at a drug cartel “stash house” on Tuesday. Their two friends Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown were killed.

Mr Williams’ wife Michelle told WBTV that she hadn’t even known he was crossing the border into Mexico – and a border city dominated by the Gulf drug cartel.

“I didn’t know that he was traveling to Mexico,” she said.

“I just knew he was going somewhere to help two friends.”

Michelle said that she had last heard from her husband on Friday morning when he texted her.

She said she replied to his message “immediately” but got no response.

Now, she believes that was when he was kidnapped.

“He didn’t respond. He didn’t respond to our son either, so I’m going to assume that’s when they were ambushed,” she said.

“I highly doubt they thought this could have happened to them.”

Now, she said he is recovering in hospital in Texas from gunshot wounds to his legs.

Four Americans were kidnapped in Mexico by cartel gunmen. How safe is it to travel there for healthcare?

10:30 , Rachel Sharp

“Ma, I’ll be okay.” That was what 33-year-old Latavia “Tay” Washington McGee told her mother on Wednesday 1 March before setting off on the roughly 1,500 mile journey to Mexico to visit a medical clinic.

Two days later, Washington McGee and the three friends accompanying her were ambushed and kidnapped in the border town of Matamoros by gunmen believed to be part of a Mexican criminal cartel.

The trip ended in tragedy, with one Mexican bystander and two of the Americans killed while Washington McGee and the other survivor were returned safely to the US. Mexican police have arrested at least one suspect who allegedly surveilled the victims before the attack.

It is a stark warning to the early one million Americans who are estimated to visit Mexico for medical care every year, often in border towns where violence between rival cartels is particularly dire.

‘Americans stand with you’: Biden pledges support during surprise visit to Ukraine

The Independent’s Io Dodds reports:

Four Americans were kidnapped in Mexico. How safe is travelling there for healthcare?

Gulf drug cartel ‘believed to be’ behind attack

10:00 , Andrea Blanco

Governor of Tamaulipas Américo Villarreal said during a press conference that the group was moved from different locations, including a clinic, during the three days that their kidnapping lasted in an attempt to throw off investigators.

Mr Villareal said that the “Clan del Golfo” is the cartel known to operate and control the area. Tamaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios Mojica also said that Mexican officials believe members of the Gulf drug cartel are behind the attack.

A suspect, 24-year-old Jose N, has been arrested. The man was tasked with making sure that the victims didn’t escape and he was captured at the scene, Mr Villareal said.

A member of the Mexican security forces stands next to a white minivan with North Carolina plates and several bullet holes

At an early press conference on Tuesday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador claimed that the tragedy will be seized by the American media to portray Mexico as a dangerous country, in stark contrast with their “silence when Mexicans are killed in the US.”

He went on to say that GOP politicians will also use the crime as an opportunity to push “their agenda.”

“We continue to work every day towards peace and are very sorry that this has happened in our country,” President López Obrador said. “We send our condolences to the victims’ friends and family and the American people. And we will continue to work towards peace.”

Medical tourism: Traveling outside US for care is common

09:00 , Andrea Blanco

The recent kidnapping of four Americans in Mexico highlighted a common practice for many people in the US: traveling to other countries for medical care that either is not available at home or costs a lot less

Medical tourism: Traveling outside US for care is common

GOP calls for military intervention following deadly kidnapping

08:00 , Andrea Blanco

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told Fox News that he would introduce legislation to “set the stage” for using military force in Mexico to combat the drug cartel.

Mr Graham made the remarks on Jesse Watters’s show on Monday evening, saying he would “introduce legislation to make certain Mexican drug cartels foreign terrorist organizations under US law and set the stage to use military force if necessary.”

The Independent’s Eric Garcia has the story:

GOP calls for military response to murdered American tourists in Mexico

Video allegedly shows kidnapping

07:00 , Andrea Blanco

A video widely shared on social media, allegedly filmed in the city on Friday, shows people being dragged and dumped into the rear of a white flatbed truck parked in the middle of a busy street by armed men wearing bulletproof jackets.

The video has not been officially verified and the FBI has made no public comment on it.

Matamoros is notorious as a centre for gang violence and illegal migrant smuggling.

Tamaulipas state police said on its social media channel that people had been killed and injured in two shootouts in Matamoros on Friday in which neither the military nor police had been involved but did not offer any further detail on the shootings or say whether the kidnappings were connected.

“There have been two armed incidents between unidentified civilians,” it said. “The exact number of the fallen is being corroborated.”

Photographs of the abandoned car, with visible bullet holes, have since been released.

Mexican authorities working on repatriation of slain American tourists’ bodies

06:00 , Andrea Blanco

The bodies of two Americans killed in Matamoros, Mexico, will be repatriated after local authorities conduct forensic evaluations, a source close to the investigation told CNN.

Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villareal said on a televised call with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador that two individuals, Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown, were killed.

Two other American citizens, one unharmed and one wounded, are back on US soil.

Photos show rescue of two American tourists from drug cartel stash house as dead friends identified

05:00 , Andrea Blanco

Photos by the Associated Press showed the moment the two surviving American citizens were rescued by Mexican authorities.

They were found at a stash house in a rural area east of Matamoros called Ejido Longoreño on the way to the local beach known as Playa Baghdad, a source close to the investigation told the AP.

Read more:

Zindell Brown had been wary about travelling to Mexico

04:31 , Graeme Massie

Zindell Brown, one of the two Americans killed in the kidnapping, was concerned about the risks involved in travelling to Mexico, his sister told the Associated Press.

“Zindell kept saying, ‘We shouldn’t go down,’” Zalandria Brown told the news organisation.

And she added: “This is like a bad dream you wish you could wake up from. To see a member of your family thrown in the back of a truck and dragged, it is just unbelievable.”

White House reacts to fatal kidnappings of American citizens in Mexico

04:00 , Andrea Blanco

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday that any attacks on American citizens under any circumstances were unacceptable.

Ms Jean-Pierre said more information will be released after family members of the two fatal victims and two kidnapping survivors are updated by US officials on any developments made in the case. She also noted that the Biden administration remains committed to “disrupting transnational criminal organizations including Mexican drug cartels and human smugglers.”

“We remain committed to applying the full weight of our efforts and resources to counter them,” Ms Jean-Pierre said.

“Right now. our immediate concerns are for the safe return of our citizens, the health and well-being of those who survived this attack, and the support which must be rendered to the families of those who need it.”

Mexican officials reveal picture of person arrested in operation to recover four Americans

03:30 , Graeme Massie

A picture of Jose Guadalupe “N” the person detained in the rescue operation is displayed during a press conference to give details after two American citizens were found dead in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, at Auditorium of Secretaria de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana on March 07, 2023 in Mexico City, Mexico.

Americans advised against travelling to area where kidnapping took place

03:00 , Andrea Blanco

The US State Department has advised Americans not to travel to Tamaulipas due to the risk of crime and kidnapping, with the region featuring on its “Level 4: Do Not Travel” list.

The US Consulate in Matamoros issued a warning to its employees on Friday in response to the latest outbreak of violence.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the FBI San Antonio Division at 210-225-6741 or to submit tips anonymously online here.

Officials show images of where Americans found in Mexico

02:27 , Graeme Massie

Images of the place where four American citizens were rescued are displayed on a screen during a press conference to give details after two American citizens were found dead in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, at Auditorium of Secretaria de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana on March 07, 2023 in Mexico City, Mexico.

Suspect arrested in death of Mexico ‘tummy tuck’ tourists

02:00 , Andrea Blanco

Governor of Tamaulipas Américo Villarreal said during a press conference that the group was moved from different locations, including a clinic, during the three days that their kidnapping lasted in an attempt to throw off investigators.

Mr Villareal said that the “Clan del Golfo” is the cartel known to operate and control the area. Tamaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios Mojica also said that Mexican officials believe members of the Gulf drug cartel are behind the attack.

A suspect, 24-year-old Jose “N,” has been arrested. The man was tasked with making sure the victims didn’t escape during the three-day kidnapping and he was captured at the scene on Tuesday, Mr Villareal said.

01:35 , Graeme Massie

The group of Americans kidnapped in Mexico had asked a doctor’s office for directions before being ambushed.

“When I reached out to the doctor’s office they told me that Latavia had reached out to them to ask them for directions because she was lost,” an unnamed friend told CNN.

“They sent me a screenshot of the messages and they said they sent her the address and asked her if she was using a GPS.”

Survivor’s mother says she warned daughter about dangerous trip

01:00 , Andrea Blanco

Surviving kidnapping victim LaTavia McGee’s mother Barbara Burgess said she was worried about her daughter going and warned her it might not be safe. But, her daughter brushed off her concerns telling her: “Ma, I’ll be okay”.

Ms Burgess last heard from Ms McGee on Friday when she called to say that they were just 15 minutes from the cosmetic surgeon’s office where she was scheduled to have the procedure that day. She never heard from her daughter again.

Ms Burgess said she tried calling Ms McGee later that day but her phone went straight to voicemail.

Not long later, she said she received a visit from an FBI agent, revealing what had happened.

Ms McGee and Erick James Williams survived the attack, while Shaeed Woodard Zindell Brown and were killed

NSC coordinator John Kirby decries killing of Americans in Matamoros

00:00 , Andrea Blanco

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby also decried the attack on the American citizens and vowed to get justice for their families.

“We appreciate the hard work of the Justice Department the FBI and the DEA and the Department of Homeland Security … we’re grateful for their swift response to this dreadful incident and for their continued collaboration with Mexican authorities,” Mr Kirby told reporters.

“We’re going to work closely with the Mexican government to ensure that justice is done in this case.”

When asked whether the White House was considering policy changes in response to the attack, Mr Kirby said that there were no immediate remedies but insisted US authorities are working extensively to get the fatal victim’s bodies and the survivors back on American soil.

Mexico kidnappings: What we know about the abduction of four US citizens in Matamoros

Tuesday 7 March 2023 23:00 , Andrea Blanco

Four American citizens who were ambushed and kidnapped at gunpoint in Mexico have been found - two of them alive and two dead, according to officials.

Here’s everything we know about the attack:

What we know about the kidnapping of four US citizens in Mexico

US authorities vow to get justice for two Americans killed in Mexico

Tuesday 7 March 2023 22:21 , Andrea Blanco

National Security Committee coordinator John Kirby decried the attack on the American citizens and vowed to get justice for their families.

“We appreciate the hard work of the Justice Department the FBI and the DEA and the Department of Homeland Security … we’re grateful for their swift response to this dreadful incident and for their continued collaboration with Mexican authorities,” Mr Kirby said.

“We’re going to work closely with the Mexican government to ensure that justice is done in this case.”

DoJ and State Department believe cartel mistook victims for Haitian drug smugglers

Tuesday 7 March 2023 21:35 , Andrea Blanco

US officials familiar with the investigation told CNN that authorities believe a Mexican cartel mistook the victims for Haitian drug smugglers.

The FBI, the Department of Justice and the State Department are working with Mexican authorities to determine what happened. At least one person has already been arrested, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said.

Mexico president ‘very sorry’ about kidnapping and deaths

Tuesday 7 March 2023 21:02 , Andrea Blanco

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reacted to the development at his morning news conference.

“We continue to work every day towards peace and are very sorry that this has happened in our country,” he said.

“We send our condolences to the victims’ friends and family and the American people. And we will continue to work towards peace.”

Photos show rescue of two American tourists from drug cartel stash house

Tuesday 7 March 2023 20:31 , Andrea Blanco

Photos show rescue of two American tourists from drug cartel stash house

Victims were moved to different locations during three-day kidnapping

Tuesday 7 March 2023 19:45 , Andrea Blanco

The four Americans kidnapped in Matamoros were taken to different locations by the people keeping them hostage, Tamaulipas Gov Americo Villareal said in a press conference on Tuesday.

At one point, they were held at a clinic, Mr Villareal said.

Mexican state and local authorities returned the victims to the FBI at the Mexican border with Brownsville, Texas, on Tuesday.

The group had travelled to the Mexican state so that one of them could get a tummy tuck procedure. Not long after entering Matamoros – an area dominated by the Gulf cartel – they came under fire from a group of armed men and were bundled into the back of a pickup truck.

Eric Williams and LaTavia McGee named as survivors of Mexico kidnapping

Tuesday 7 March 2023 19:39 , Andrea Blanco

Tamaulipas Gov Americo Villareal said in a press conference on Tuesday that the two American citizens who survived a kidnapping in Matamoros and have since been repatriated to the US are Eric Williams and LaTavia McGee.

Mr Williams was wounded while Ms McGee was found unharmed.

Mr Villareal said one suspect, 24-year-old Jose N, has been arrested. The man was tasked with making sure that the victims didn’t escape and he was captured at the scene.

LaTavia McGee among survivors, mother says

Tuesday 7 March 2023 19:25 , Andrea Blanco

The mother of one of the Americans kidnapped in Mexico over the weekend has revealed that his daughter survived the attack.

LaTavia McGee’s mother Barbara Burgess told ABC News that FBI agents delivered the news to her on Tuesday, hours after Mexican officials announced that two of the individuals travelling in the group of four had been gunned down.

“I had to hold my heart,” Ms Burgess said. “There is a God.”

The other victims were identified as Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown and Eric James Williams by family members. They travelled from South Carolina to Mexico on 3 March because one of them planned to have plastic surgery done.

White House reacts to news of two American citizens killed in Mexico

Tuesday 7 March 2023 19:20 , Andrea Blanco

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday that any attacks on American citizens under any circumstances were unacceptable.

Ms Jean-Pierre said more information will be released after family members of the two fatal victims and two kidnapping survivors are updated by US officials on any developments made in the case.

She also noted that the Biden administration remains committed to “disrupting transnational criminal organizations including Mexican drug cartels and human smugglers.”

Officials familiar with the investigation previously told CNN that authorities believe a Mexican cartel mistook the victims for Haitian drug smugglers.

“In the past few months, President Biden signed an executive order giving the Department of Treasury expanded authorities to penalize cartel organizations and those who control or enable them, and we have imposed powerful new sanctions against cartel organizations in recent weeks,” Ms Jean-Pierre said.

“We remain committed to applying the full weight of our efforts and resources to counter them. Right now. our immediate concerns are for the safe return of our citizens, the health and well-being of those who survived this attack, and the support which must be rendered to the families of those who need it.”

Mexican officials said on Tuesday that the two surviving Americans are back on US soil.

Tuesday 7 March 2023 19:00 , Andrea Blanco

The group of American citizens kidnapped in Mexico got lost on their way to a plastic surgeon’s office before they were taken hostage by armed individuals.

Family members named the victims as Latavia “Tay” McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown and Eric James Williams, who travelled from South Carolina to Mexico on 3 March.

A friend of the victims, who asked to remain anonymous, told CNN that the group was having a hard time communicating with the doctor because of the poor phone signal.

“When I reached out to the doctor’s office they told me that Latavia had reached out to them to ask them for directions because she was lost,” they said to the network. “They sent me a screenshot of the messages and they said they sent her the address and asked her if she was using a GPS.”

GOP calls for military intervention in response to murdered American tourists in Mexico

Tuesday 7 March 2023 18:40 , Andrea Blanco

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told Fox News that he would introduce legislation to “set the stage” for using military force in Mexico to combat the drug cartel.

Mr Graham made the remarks on Jesse Watters’s show on Monday evening, saying he would “introduce legislation to make certain Mexican drug cartels foreign terrorist organizations under US law and set the stage to use military force if necessary.”

The Independent’s Eric Garcia has more:

GOP calls for military response to murdered American tourists in Mexico

Bodies of slain American tourist will be repatriated after autopsies

Tuesday 7 March 2023 18:23 , Andrea Blanco

The bodies of two Americans killed in Matamoros, Mexico, will be repatriated after local authorities conduct forensic evaluations, a source close to the investigation told CNN.

Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villareal said on a televised call with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador that two individuals of the four kidnapped on Friday were killed.

Two other American citizens, one unharmed and one wounded, are back on US soil.

Two survivors in Mexico kidnapping in the care of the FBI

Tuesday 7 March 2023 18:07 , Andrea Blanco

The Tamaulipas Attorney General has said that two American citizens who survived a kidnapping have been returned to the US. American officials told CNN that they’re in the care of the FBI now.

“Federal and state authorities, with personnel from the #USA Consulate in #Matamoros, delivered 2 citizens of that country in the border, who were located today after they were deprived of their freedom on March 3,” Irving Barrios Mojica said in a tweet.

Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villareal said on a televised call with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador that two individuals of the four kidnapped on Friday were killed.

One of the survivors is wounded while a fourth was unharmed.

Sister of kidnapping victims remains hopeful he is among two survivors

Tuesday 7 March 2023 18:03 , Andrea Blanco

The sister of kidnapping victim Zindell Brown has said she remains hopeful her brother is among two members of the group who survived the ordeal.

Mr Brown, Latavia “Tay” McGee, Shaeed Woodard, and Eric James Williams travelled to Matamoros, where McGee planned to have a tummy tuck done, from South Carolina. They were taken hostage on Friday.

Mexican authorities confirmed on Tuesday that two in the group were killed, one was wounded while a fourth victim was unharmed.

“MY BROTHER IS STILL ALIVE AND HE’S COMING HOME!! I STILL HAVE STRONG FAITH!! I’M KEEPING THE FAITH!!” Zalayna Grant wrote on Facebook.

DoJ and State Department believe cartel mistook victims for Haitian drug smugglers

Tuesday 7 March 2023 17:48 , Andrea Blanco

US officials familiar with the investigation told CNN that authorities believe a Mexican cartel mistook the victims for Haitian drug smugglers.

The FBI, the Department of Justice and the State Department are working with Mexican authorities to determine what happened. At least one person has already been arrested, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said.

Two survivors back on American soil

Tuesday 7 March 2023 17:36 , Andrea Blanco

The Tamaulipas Attorney General has said that two American citizens who survived a kidnapping have been returned to the US.

“Federal and state authorities, with personnel from the #USA Consulate in #Matamoros, delivered 2 citizens of that country in the border, who were located today after they were deprived of their freedom on March 3,” Irving Barrios Mojica said in a tweet.

Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villareal said on a televised call with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador that two individuals of the four kidnapped on Friday were killed.

One of the survivors is wounded while a fourth was unharmed.

Americans found in rural area near the site they were kidnapped on Friday

Tuesday 7 March 2023 17:30 , Andrea Blanco

An unnamed state authority told the Associated Press that the missing American citizens were found in a rural area east of Matamoros called Ejido Longoreño on the way to the local beach known as Playa Baghdad.

Investigators reportedly received word of the victims’ location before dawn on Tuesday.

It remains unclear how that word was delivered or how the rescue operation unfolded.

The authority requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the case.

US authorities vow to get justice for two Americans killed in Mexico

Tuesday 7 March 2023 17:15 , Andrea Blanco

National Security Committee coordinator John Kirby decried the attack on the American citizens and vowed to get justice for their families.

“We appreciate the hard work of the Justice Department the FBI and the DEA and the Department of Homeland Security … we’re grateful for their swift response to this dreadful incident and for their continued collaboration with Mexican authorities,” Mr Kirby said.

“We’re going to work closely with the Mexican government to ensure that justice is done in this case.”

One suspect arrested in kidnapping plot

Tuesday 7 March 2023 17:04 , Andrea Blanco

The FBI and Mexican authorities have made an arrest in the deaths of two American citizens killed in the state of Matamoros.

The tragic news was revealed on a televised call between Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villarreal and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Tuesday. Mr Villareal said that another person was found wounded while a fourth individual was unharmed.

The group, identified on Monday as Latavia “Tay” McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown and Eric James Williams, was taken hostage on Friday after entering the state of Tamaulipas in Matamoros – an area dominated by the Gulf cartel.

The Americans had driven from South Carolina and came under fire from a group of armed men and were bundled into the back of a pickup truck.

Mexican president says American’s death will be used my media to portray Mexico in a negative light

Tuesday 7 March 2023 16:30 , Andrea Blanco

Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villareal said on a televised call with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador that two of the victims were killed.

Mr Lopez Obrador claimed that the tragedy will be seized by the American media to portray Mexico as a dangerous country, in stark contrast with their “silence when Mexicans are killed in the US.”

It is unclear where the victims were located, with Mr Villareal stating that they had been “seen” before Mexican authorities confirmed the information.

Americans found in Ejido Longoreño, unnamed official says

Tuesday 7 March 2023 16:15 , Megan Sheets

An unnamed state authority told the Associated Press that the missing American citizens were found in a rural area east of Matamoros called Ejido Longoreño on the way to the local beach known as Playa Baghdad.

Investigators reportedly received word of the victims’ location before dawn on Tuesday.

It remains unclear how that word was delivered or how the rescue operation unfolded.

The authority requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the case.

One person arrested, Mexican president says

Tuesday 7 March 2023 16:01 , Megan Sheets

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said one person has been arrested in connection with the kidnapping of four Americans.

More details are expected to be released by Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villarreal at a news conference.

Mexico president ‘very sorry’ about kidnapping and deaths

Tuesday 7 March 2023 15:54 , Megan Sheets

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reacted to the development at his morning news conference.

“We continue to work every day towards peace and are very sorry that this has happened in our country,” he said.

“We send our condolences to the victims’ friends and family and the American people. And we will continue to work towards peace.”

Americans kidnapped in Mexico are found dead

Tuesday 7 March 2023 16:33 , Andrea Blanco

The four Americans kidnapped in Matamoros have been found, according to Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villarreal.

Two of the victims are dead, one injured and another unharmed, he said.

The group was identified on Monday as Latavia “Tay” McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown and Eric James Williams, who travelled from South Carolina. The names of the deceased individuals have not been revealed.

Joint search effort led to discovery of missing Americans

Tuesday 7 March 2023 15:44 , Megan Sheets

The missing Americans were found through “joint search actions” presumably involving US and Mexican officials, according to Tamaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios.

He confirmed the news in a tweet, written in Spanish and roughly translated to: “Derived from the joint search actions, the 4 American citizens deprived of their liberty were found last Friday. Unfortunately two dead. Investigation and intelligence work continues to capture those responsible.

“Details will be given later.”

Mexican governor confirms news at press conference

Tuesday 7 March 2023 15:37 , Megan Sheets

Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villarreal confirmed the discovery of the four Americans at a morning news conference by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

“Of the four, two of them are dead, one person is wounded and the other is alive and right now the ambulances and the rest of the security personnel are going for them for give the corresponding support,” Mr Villarreal said.

Details on discovery remain scant

Tuesday 7 March 2023 15:23 , Megan Sheets

Details about the discovery of the four kidnapped Americans remains scant.

The news that two of the Americans were found dead and two others alive initially came from Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villarreal, via the Associated Press.

Mr Villarreal said that one of the survivors was wounded and the other was not.

He did not give any identifying details.

The Independent’s Andrea Blanco reports:

Two Americans kidnapped in Matamoros, Mexico, are found dead, one wounded

Missing Americans found in Mexico

Tuesday 7 March 2023 15:10 , Megan Sheets

The four Americans kidnapped in Matamoros have been found, according to a Mexican governor.

Two of the victims are dead, one injured and another unharmed, according to the Associated Press.

Kidnapped American Latavia ‘Tay’ McGee travelled to Mexico for cosmetic surgery

Tuesday 7 March 2023 14:51 , Andrea Blanco

The four Americans kidnapped in Mexico on Friday have now been identified as Latavia “Tay” McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown and Eric James Williams, who travelled from South Carolina.

Ms McGee, who is pictured below, had travelled to the country for cosmetic surgery, her mother told the Associated Press.

Family of kidnapped US citizen says it feels like a ‘bad dream'

Tuesday 7 March 2023 14:20 , Rachel Sharp

The family of one of the kidnapped US citizens has spoken out to say that it feels like a “bad dream”.

Zalandria Brown said that her younger brother Zindell Brown is one of the four victims who are now missing after being abducted by armed men in Matamoros on Friday.

“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.”

Ms Brown said her brother, who lives in Myrtle Beach, had gone on the trip with his three friends because one of the women – Latavia “Tay” McGee – had booked to get a tummy tuck at a clinic in Mexico.

She said that her brother had spoken about his concerns of going to such a dangerous place but the four had all gone to help share driving duties on the trip.

“Zindell kept saying, ‘We shouldn’t go down,’” she said.

Mom of kidnapped American says she urged daughter not to go

Tuesday 7 March 2023 13:50 , Rachel Sharp

The mother of one of the four Americans kidnapped in Mexico has revealed that she urged her daughter not to go.

Latavia “Tay” McGee’s mother Barbara Burgess told ABC News that her daughter had traveled with her three friends from her home in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to get a tummy tuck at a clinic in Mexico.

Ms Burgess said she was worried about her daughter going and warned her it might not be safe.

But, her daughter brushed off her concerns telling her: “Ma, I’ll be okay”.

Ms Burgess said she last heard from Ms McGee on Friday when she called to say that they were just 15 minutes from the cosmetic surgeon’s office where she was scheduled to have the procedure that day. She never heard from her again.

Ms Burgess said she tried calling her daughter later that day but her phone went straight to voicemail.

Not long later, she said she received a visit from an FBI agent, revealing what had happened.

Four Americans kidnapped at gunpoint in Mexico identified as group of friends who travelled for tummy tuck

Tuesday 7 March 2023 13:20 , Rachel Sharp

The four Americans kidnapped at gunpoint in Matamoros have now been identified as a group of friends who travelled to Mexico so that one of them could get a tummy tuck procedure.

Family members named the group on Monday as Latavia “Tay” McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown and Eric James Williams.

The four were travelling in a white minivan with North Carolina licence plates when they crossed the US border into Mexico on Friday.

Not long after entering Matamoros – an area dominated by the Gulf cartel – they came under fire from a group of armed men and were bundled into the back of a pickup truck. They have not been seen since.

Read the full story here:

Identities of four Americans kidnapped at gunpoint in Mexico made public

Marjorie Taylor Greene calls for US military to rescue kidnapped Americans

Tuesday 7 March 2023 12:50 , Rachel Sharp

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has called for the US military to “take out” the Mexicancartels after it was announced that four American tourists were kidnapped while in Mexico.

Graig Gaziosi reports.

Marjorie Taylor Greene calls for US military ‘strike’ on Mexican cartels

PICTURED: Kidnapped American Shaeed Woodard

Tuesday 7 March 2023 12:20 , Rachel Sharp

The four Americans kidnapped in Mexico on Friday have now been identified as Latavia “Tay” McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown and Eric James Williams, who travelled from South Carolina.

Mr Woodard is pictured below:

PICTURED: Kidnapped American Latavia ‘Tay’ McGee

Tuesday 7 March 2023 11:59 , Rachel Sharp

The four Americans kidnapped in Mexico on Friday have now been identified as Latavia “Tay” McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown and Eric James Williams, who travelled from South Carolina.

Ms McGee is pictured below:

Innocent Mexican citizen killed in kidnapping incident

Tuesday 7 March 2023 10:15 , Oliver O'Connell

An innocent Mexican citizen was killed during the kidnapping of four Americans, according to US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar.

Mr Salazar did not offer any additional details about the circumstances of the killing.

“We have no higher priority than the safety of our citizens,” he said, according to CNN.

“This is the most fundamental role of the US government. Officials from various US law enforcement agencies are working with Mexican authorities at all levels of government to achieve the safe return of our compatriots.”

What we know about the abduction of four Americans in Matamoros

Tuesday 7 March 2023 08:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The FBI has launched an appeal for information after four American citizens were ambushed and kidnapped at gunpoint in Mexico on Friday 3 March.

An investigation involving the FBI, federal partners and Mexican law enforcement agencies is currently underway to find them.

Oliver Rich, special agent in charge of the San Antonio Division of the FBI, said in a press release that the bureau is seeking the public’s help in identifying the assailants.

A reward of $50,000 is being offered for tip-offs leading to the return of the victims and the arrest of their captors.

Details regarding the incident are currently sparse but here is everything we do know so far about this developing story.

What we know about the kidnapping of four US citizens in Mexico

State Department: ‘Do not travel’ to Tamaulipas

Tuesday 7 March 2023 06:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The US State Department has advised Americans not to travel to the Mexican state of Tamaulipas due to the risk of crime and kidnapping, with the region featuring on its “Level 4: Do Not Travel” list.

The US Consulate in Matamoros issued a warning to its employees on Friday in response to the latest outbreak of violence.

Ambassador Salazar: ‘No higher priority than the safety of our citizens

Tuesday 7 March 2023 04:15 , Oliver O'Connell

US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar released a statement on Monday:

On Friday, March 3, unknown assailants in Matamoros, Tamaulipas kidnapped four US citizens at gunpoint in an incident that tragically killed an innocent Mexican citizen. We have no higher priority than the safety of our citizens. This is the most fundamental role of the US government.

He also tweeted that the embassy is working with the Mexican authorities to secure the release of the Americans.

White House ‘closely following’ situation

Tuesday 7 March 2023 03:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says the White House is “closely following the assault and kidnapping” of four American citizens in Mexico.

“Our thoughts are with the families of these individuals and we stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance.”

Where were four US citizens abducted at gunpoint in Matamoros?

Tuesday 7 March 2023 02:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The FBI has launched a search for four US citizens who were kidnapped at gunpoint in Mexico.

The group of four Americans drove across the US border with Mexico on Friday, crossing into Matamoros, Tamaulipas, in their white minivan, according to the US Embassy & Consulates in Mexico.

Not long after crossing the border, they were ambushed by a group of gunmen who fired on the passengers in the vehicle.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Mexico kidnapping map: Where were four US citizens abducted at gunpoint in Matamoros?