Mexico kidnapping — latest: Drug cartel ‘apologises’ for attack on American victims as suspect photo emerges
A Mexican drug cartel has blamed five rogue members for the deadly kidnapping of four Americans in Matamoros.
The Gulf cartel’s Scorpion faction made the claims in a letter obtained by the Associated Press. Photos purportedly showed the suspects with their hands tied, face down on a sidewalk after being turned in by the cartel along with the letter.
The cartel apologised for the kidnapping and said five of its members “acted under their own decision-making and lack of discipline”.
“The Gulf cartel asks the community to be calm as we’re committed to ensuring that these types of mistakes are not made ever again and plan to make those who are guilty pay,” the letter states.
The development followed reports that Mexican investigators conducted deep background checks on the four victims - LaTavia “Tay” McGee, Eric James Williams, Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown - as they probe the possibility of cartel links.
A report obtained by Reuters flagged the criminal records of Williams and Woodard - finding past drug convictions.
When authorities finally located the missing tourists four days after their 3 March abduction, McGee and Williams were rescued while Woddard and Brown were already dead.
Key Points
Fifth friend had lucky escape from cartel ambush
Innocent Mexican citizen killed in incident
Man arrested in kidnapping of four Americans in Mexico
Two of four Americans kidnapped in Mexico ‘tummy tuck’ trip found dead
Video of violence in Matamoros emerges
Four Americans kidnapped at gunpoint in Tamaulipas on Friday
Wife of American kidnapping victim didn’t even know he’d left US
22:20 , Andrea Blanco
Eric James Williams and his friend Latavia ‘Tay’ McGee were rescued from a drug cartel ‘stash house’ on Tuesday – but their friends Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown were found dead.
The Independent’s Rache Sharp has the story:
Wife of American who survived Mexico cartel kidnapping didn’t know he’d left US
The Gulf drug cartel’s ‘apology'
21:15 , Andrea Blanco
An unnamed Tamaulipas state law enforcement official provided a letter believed to be authored by the Gulf drug cartel to the Associated Press. In it, the criminal organisation promised to turn over five men who kidnapped LaTavia “Tay” McGee, Eric James Williams, Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown on 3 March.
“We have decided to turn over those who were directly involved and responsible in the events, who at all times acted under their own decision-making and lack of discipline,” the letter reads, according to the AP.
An extended version of the letter shared by local media also read: “The Gulf drug cartel Scorpion section decries the attack on 3 March, in which a working [Mexican] mother was killed and four American citizens were kidnapped. Two of them were also killed.
“ [The five members] went against the Gulf drug carter’s rules of respecting the life and integrity of innocent people. We apologise to residents of Matamoros ... and the American families affected.”
“The Gulf cartel asks the community to be calm because we’re committed to ensuring that these types of mistakes are not made ever again and making those who are guilty pay.”
Girl, 8, kidnapped from Washington state mall in 2018 found alive in Mexico
20:58 , Andrea Blanco
Aranza Maria Ochoa Lopez was four years old when she was last seen on a supervised visit with her biological mother at the mall in Vancouver, Washington.
The Independent’s Graeme Massie has more:
Girl, 8, kidnapped from Washington state mall in 2018 found alive in Mexico
PICTURED: Alleged kidnappers turned in by ‘Clan del Golfo’
20:43 , Andrea Blanco
Five rogue members of the Gulf drug cartel were turned in by the criminal organisation’s Scorpion faction for the fatal kidnapping of four Americans on 3 March.
The men were turned in along with a letter in which cartel leaders claimed that the suspects went against the group’s “rules” of always “respecting innocent lives.”
What has the Biden administration said about the Mexico kidnappings?
20:10 , Josh Marcus
The kidnapping of four Americans last week, which led to the death of two people in the group, has shaken US-Mexico relations.
The Biden administration says the case has its “full attention.”
“We’ve been focused on taking big actions to fight drug traffickers and to go after the financial backing of cartels and their attempt to bring fentanyl into the country,” John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council, said earlier this week, adding that the administration is “working closely with Mexico to prosecute dangerous drug traffickers and of course rallying the global community to address this crisis.”
Surviving kidnapping victims back in US and receiving treatment: officials
19:50 , Josh Marcus
Latavia Washington McGee and Eric Williams, the two surviving members of a group of Americans kidnapped last week in Mexico, are back in the US and receiving treatment, according to officials.
Ms Washington McGee, a mother of six, and Mr Williams are both in Texas, where they are getting treatment and observation from doctors, according to a Mexican official.
The former was found uninjured, while the latter was shot twice in one leg and once in the other, CNN reports.
Swift Mexican response to kidnapping draws anger over past inaction
19:30 , Josh Marcus
Less than a week after four Americans were kidnapped in the city of Matamoros, Mexican officials found the group being held in a house outside of the city.
The swift government response has drawn comparisons to past tragedies, where critics say the Mexican government has dragged its feet securing the safety of Mexican citizens targeted for cartel violence, according to The New York Times.
“If only our government would apply the same force and due diligence to search for our disappeared in Mexico,” Delia Quiroa, who has been looking for a missing brother for nearly a decade, said in a recent video on social media.
In 2014, the country was rocked by the disappearance of 43 students.
Official: 6 of 43 missing Mexican students given to army
One million people do it every year. But after the tummy tuck murders, how safe is it to seek healthcare in Mexico?
19:12 , Josh Marcus
“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.
Io Dodds reports.
After the tummy tuck murders, how safe is it to seek healthcare in Mexico?
Leader of cartel group which allegedly kidnapped Americans identified
18:57 , Josh Marcus
Mexican news outlets Reforma and Milenio have identified Jose Alberto Garcia Vilano as the head of the Scorpions faction of the Gulf drug cartel, which allegedly took credit for the kidnapping of four Americans in the state of Matamoros last week.
The alleged cartel member, known by the aliases La Kena and Ciclon 19, has been linked to violent crimes in the past, including executions, according to Milenio.
Mexican drug cartel ‘apologises’ for deadly kidnapping of four Americans, blaming rogue members
18:40 , Josh Marcus
A Mexcian drug cartel has reportedly apologised for the killings of two American tourists at the hands of some of its members who mistook them for drug smugglers.
An unnamed Tamaulipas state law enforcement official provided a letter believed to be authored by the Gulf drug cartel to the Associated Press. In it, the criminal organisation promises it will turn over five men who kidnapped LaTavia McGee, Eric James Williams, Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown on 3 March.
The group was on their way to the office of a plastic surgeon in Matamoros when they were ambushed by several gunmen. Ms McGee and Mr Williams survived the attack and are back on US soil, but Woodard and Brown were killed by the time Mexican authorities found them on Tuesday.
The Gulf drug cartel has now said that the kidnappers went against the group’s rules of “respecting innocent people’s life.” A picture of the five men allegedly behind the abduction was also shared along with the note.
Andrea Blanco has the latest details.
Mexican drug cartel ‘apologises’ for deadly kidnapping of four Americans
Letter reveals potential Gulf cartel apology for kidnapped Americans
18:34 , Josh Marcus
An individual claiming to be from the cartel that allegedly kidnapped four Americans last week in Mexico, killing two of them, has apologised for the incident, pointing to a “lack of discipline” from those involved.
“We have decided to turn over those who were directly involved and responsible in the events, who at all times acted under their own decision-making and lack of discipline,” according to the letter, which was shared with the Associated Press by an anonymous Mexican law enforcement source.
The document said operatives from the Scorpions faction of the powerful Gulf cartel allegedly broke internal rules regarding “respecting the life and well-being of the innocent.”
The letter included a photo of five men bound and face down.
Mexico investigating potential drug motive in kidnappings
18:28 , Josh Marcus
Mexican officials are investigating whether cartel activity was tied into the kidnapping of four Americans in the border city of Matamoros, according to a document seen by Reuters.
“It cannot be ruled out that the attack against (the Americans) could be directly linked to drug trafficking operations,” according to the document.
Officials believe the US group, which ventured south seeking medical care, may have been mistakenly targeted by a drug cartel believing someone was encroaching on their turf.
Two of the Americans, identified as Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown, were found dead on Monday outside of Matamoros, along with two surviving companions.
‘Clan del Golfo’ cartel likely behind the attack
17:52 , 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.”
PICTURED: First suspect arrested in Matamoros kidnapping
16:59 , 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.
Wife of American tourist who survived Mexico cartel kidnapping says she didn’t even know he’d left US
16:10 , Andrea Blanco
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 know he’d left US
Zindell Brown had been wary about travelling to Mexico
15:32 , 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.”
Americans deterred from travelling to Matamoros
14:43 , 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.
Republicans propose military intervention in cartel-dominated Mexico areas
14:00 , 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
South Carolina community holds vigil
13:30 , Rachel Sharp
The South Carolina community which was home to the kidnapped Americans held a vigil on Wednesday in honour of the two victims killed and two survivors.
A prayer service was held at Word of God Outreach Ministries in Lake City, in the state’s Pee Dee region.
Around 40 local residents attended the event led by Pastor Herbert Godwin, lighting candles for the four victims.
Worshipper Barry Epp told The Associated Press that he grew up near Shaeed Woodard and Latavia McGee and played football with Zindell Brown.
He remembered Brown as a “quiet guy” and Woodard as a “good-spirited, friendly jokester”. Both men were found dead on Tuesday.
“You never know what tomorrow is going to bring,” he said. “You gotta love your people while they’re here.”
Photos show rescue of two American tourists from drug cartel stash house as dead friends identified
13:00 , Andrea Blanco
Fifth American reveals lucky escape from Mexico cartel kidnapping after she forgot her ID
12:30 , Rachel Sharp
A fifth friend has revealed she had a lucky escape from the fatal Matamoros kidnapping after she was stopped at the US-Mexico border because she didn’t have a photo ID.
Cheryl Orange was part of the group of American childhood friends who drove from South Carolina to the border in Texas last week so that one of them – Latavia “Tay” McGee – could get a tummy tuck procedure.
Ms Orange told The Associated Press that she had forgotten to bring an identification card on the trip and so she was denied passage across the border.
That missing ID may well have saved her life.
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:
Fifth American reveals lucky escape from Mexico cartel kidnapping
How safe is it to seek healthcare in Mexico?
12:00 , Andrea Blanco
The killing of two US citizens on their way to a Mexican clinic is a stark warning for the nearly one million Americans who cross the border for medical care each year.
The Independent’s Io Dodds reports:
After the tummy tuck murders, how safe is it to seek healthcare in Mexico?
Matamoros was site of horror 1989 murder of spring breaker Mark Kilroy
11:30 , Rachel Sharp
The Mexico border town where four US citizens were kidnapped – and two of them killed – last week was the site of the horror 1989 murder of spring breaker Mark Kilroy.
Back on 14 March 1989, Kilroy, a 21-year-old University of Texas at Austin student, had gone to South Padre Island, Texas, to celebrate spring break with a group of friends.
At some point while bar-hopping, we wound up across the border in Matamoros, Mexico.
He vanished.
One month later, his burned body was found in a rural compound around 13 miles outside Matamoros.
He had been kidnapped, tortured, raped and killed by a satanic drug smuggling cult.
Traveling outside US for medical procedure is not uncommon
22:43 , Andrea Blanco
The recent kidnapping of four Americans in Mexico highlights a common practice for many people in the US: traveLling to other countries for medical care that either is not available at home or costs a lot less.
The four were abducted — leading to the deaths of two — during a trip to Mexico that one relative said was for cosmetic surgery.
People leave the US for dental procedures, plastic surgery, cancer treatments and prescription drugs, experts say. Besides Mexico, other common destinations include Canada, India and Thailand.
After the tummy tuck murders, how safe is it to seek healthcare in Mexico?
American killed in Mexico kidnapping tried to cancel tummy tuck trip over drug cartel fears
11:00 , Andrea Blanco
Mexican authorities confirmed on Tuesday that Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown were the two US nationals found dead nearly four days after they were kidnapped in the Mexican city of Matamoros– an area dominated by the Gulf cartel.
Brown and Woodward travelled to Mexico from South Carolina with their friends Latavia “Tay” McGee and Eric James Williams, who survived the kidnapping. The group drove from South Carolina and had just entered the border between Brownsville, Texas and Matamoros when they were caught in a shootout and forced out of their van and into the kidnapper’s vehicles.
The Independent has more:
American killed in Mexico kidnapping tried to cancel trip over drug cartel fears
Americans found quickly, but Mexico's missing remain lost
10:30 , Rachel Sharp
When four Americans were kidnapped in the border city of Matamoros, authorities rescued the survivors after three days, but thousands of Mexicans remain missing in the state long associated with cartel violence — some in cases dating back more than a decade.
Mexican authorities quickly blamed the local Gulf cartel for shooting up the Americans’ minivan after they crossed the border for cosmetic surgery Friday. Authorities found the Americans — two dead, one injured and one apparently unharmed — early Tuesday after a massive search involving squads of Mexican soldiers and National Guard troops.
By contrast, more than 112,000 Mexicans remain missing nationwide, in many cases years or decades after they disappeared. Although a convoy of armored Mexican military trucks extracted the Americans, the only ones searching for most of the missing Mexicans are their desperate relatives.
Read more here:
Americans found quickly, but Mexico's missing remain lost
ICYMI: How the deadly kidnapping unfolded
10:00 , Andrea Blanco
According to the US Embassy & Consulates in Mexico, the group had crossed into the northeastern state of Tamaulipas on the Gulf Coast from Brownsville, Texas, on 3 March driving a white minivan with North Carolina licence plates.
Mexican authorities named the victims as MsMcgee, Mr Woodard, Mr Brown and Mr Williams. Barbara Burgess, 54, Ms McGee’s mother, told ABC News that it was her daughter who was visiting Mexico for the medical procedure and that her friends had tagged along to help share driving duties.
Shortly after they had entered the country, they were attacked by gunmen in the border city of Matamoros. After firing on the van, the attackers then moved the passengers to another vehicle and drove them away from the scene, the embassy said.
A photo purportedly shows the white minivan from which four Americans were abducted on 3 March 2023 in Matamoros, Mexico
“The information we have is that they crossed the border to buy medicines in Mexico, there was a confrontation between groups and they were detained,” the president said. “The whole government is working on it.”
An unnamed US official said the four Americans were not the intended targets and they had travelled to Matamoros for medical procedures. US officials familiar with the investigation told CNN that authorities believe a Mexican cartel mistook the victims for Haitian drug smugglers.
Fifth friend had lucky escape from cartel ambush
09:29 , Rachel Sharp
A fifth friend had a lucky escape from the fatal cartel kidnapping in Matamoros when she was stopped at the US-Mexico border because she didn’t have a photo ID.
Cheryl Orange was part of the group of American childhood friends who drove from South Carolina to the border in Texas last week so that one of them – Latavia “Tay” McGee – could get a tummy tuck procedure.
Ms Orange told The Associated Press that she had forgotten to bring an identification card on the trip and so she was denied passage across the border.
That missing ID may well have saved her life.
Her four friends – Ms McGee, Eric James Williams, Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown – drove their rental white minivan into Matamoros and were ambushed by a group of armed gunman.
What happened to the four Americans ensnared in a deadly Mexico cartel kidnapping?
09:00 , Andrea Blanco
Four US citizens were ambushed and taken hostage in the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, after crossing into Mexico for a cosmetic surgery procedure. Four days later, two of them were found dead and two were rescued.
The Independent’s Andrea Blanco and Joe Sommerlad report:
What happened to the four Americans ensnared in a deadly Mexico cartel kidnapping?
This is how the US has responded to the killings of two American tourists in Mexico
08:00 , 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.”
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.
”Right now our focus is very squarely on these four Americans and the families that have been affected by the attack and I think you’ll hear more from the Justice Department as they learn more and can have more to share,” he added. “But it’s just too soon for me to be able to speak to any policy changes or, or vectors as a result of this attack.”
PICTURED: Man arrested in kidnapping of four Americans in Mexico
07:00 , 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.
Survivor’s mother ‘warned her’ against fatal Mexico tripn
06:00 , Andrea Blanco
Ms 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.
Mr Brown’s sister Zalandria Brown told the AP: “This is like a bad dream you wish you could wake up from.”
US officials advise against travelling to Matamoros
05:00 , 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.
Mexico kidnapping map: Where were four US citizens abducted at gunpoint in Matamoros?
04:00 , Andrea Blanco
Four Americans drove across the US border with Mexico on 3 March in their white minivan, where they were ambushed by armed men
Mexico kidnapping map: Where were four US citizens abducted at gunpoint in Matamoros?
The shocking moment four American citizens were kidnapped
03:00 , 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.
Two Americans whose abduction in Mexico was captured in video that showed them caught in cartel shootout have been found dead, officials say. Two others who were kidnapped with them found alive, with one wounded pic.twitter.com/WKHjHVRUxv
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) March 7, 2023
Two of four Americans kidnapped in Mexico ‘tummy tuck’ trip are found dead
02:00 , Andrea Blanco
Two Americans in a group of four friends who were kidnapped during a trip to Mexico last week have been found dead.
The group was taken hostage on Friday (3 March) after entering the state of Tamaulipas in Matamoros – an area dominated by the Gulf cartel.
The Americans, who had driven from South Carolina, came under fire from a group of armed men and were bundled into the back of a pickup truck.
Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villarreal revealed on a call during a Tuesday evening press conference that two of the victims, Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown had been found dead.
Eric James Williams was wounded on his leg while LaTavia “Tay” McGee was unharmed — they are back in the US, according to the Tamaulipas Attorney General.
Survivor’s wife says she didn’t know about Mexico trip
01:00 , Andrea Blanco
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.
Victims is described as ‘loving son and brother’
00:00 , Andrea Blanco
Before the tragic news, Zindell Brown’s sister had held onto hope that her brother was among the two people revealed to have survived the kidnapping in an early Tuesday press conference by Mexican authorities.
“My brother is still alive and he is coming home! I still have strong faith!! I’m keeping the faith,” she wrote on Facebook.
“This is like a bad dream you wish you could wake up from,” sister Zalandria 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.”
“Zindell kept saying, ‘We shouldn’t go down,’ she added.
His family have since created a GoFundMe account to raise money for a second autopsy and funeral costs.
“We are still working with the authorities to understand when Zindell’s body will be released and sent to us here in South Carolina,” Zalayna Grant, Brown’s sister, wrote in the description of the page.
“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.”
Brown was remembered as 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,” Ms Grant added.
Slain kidnapping victim Shaeed Woodard had joined cousin on ‘tummy tuck’ trip
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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'
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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'
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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?
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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?
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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
Wednesday 8 March 2023 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
