Four Americans were kidnapped after making their way across the border to Mexico last week. Mexican and American authorities have confirmed that two have been found dead. The other two kidnapping victims made their return to the United States Tuesday.
According to CBS News, the kidnapped Americans were Latavia “Tay” McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Eric James Williams, and Zindell Brown. The Independent reported that McGee and Williams survived
the ordeal.McGee was traveling to Mexico for a cosmetic “tummy tuck” procedure and brought her friends along for support.“Federal and state corporations, with Consulate personnel #EUA in #Matamoros delivered 2 citizens of that country on an international bridge, located today after they were deprived of their liberty on March 3″
Translated by Google.
Tamaulipas Gov. Américo Villarreal said one of the two surviving Americans was wounded.
McGee and Williams were escorted by federal and state officials to an international bridge at the U.S.-Mexico border, the attorney general in Tamaulipas confirmed to the media.
Without giving details about what happened to the four victims, State Department spokesperson Ned Price confirmed the return of McGee and Williams and added that authorities are “in the process of working to repatriate the remains” of the deceased.
Villarreal did not disclose any details about where or how the Americans were found or the nature of the injuries one of the surviving victims suffered. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said one person in connection with the kidnapping is in custody, the Associated Press reported.
The Americans were kidnapped last week after their vehicle was fired on by gunmen in Matamoros, a
border city in northern Mexico. The victims had driven down to Mexico from Brownsville, Texas, on Friday in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates. López Obrador said Monday that they had crossed the border to purchase medicine. They got caught in the crossfire between two groups of armed individuals.A video of the actual abduction was posted on Twitter.