UPDATE: 2 Americans kidnapped in Mexico found dead; 1 of 2 found alive is injured



Of the group of four American citizens kidnapped last week in Matamoros, two have been found dead and two are alive, Mexican authorities said.

Americo Villareal Anaya, the governor of Tamaulipas, reportedly confirmed the news to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in a phone call Tuesday morning, PBS reported.

One of the survivors is wounded, the governor said, adding that ambulances were "rushing to the area to recover them and offer them medical care," PBS also reported.

The United States is "still working with Mexican officials to learn more and to have all four victims returned to the United States," John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, told reporters Tuesday, as CNN reported.

The group of Americans were kidnapped at gunpoint in Mexico's state of Tamaulipas in the city of Matamoros Friday, as TheBlaze reported.

Latavia "Tay" McGee, 33, reportedly drove to Mexico with Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown, and Eric Williams, an unidentified friend of McGee told CNN. The purpose of the trip was for cosmetic surgery scheduled for Friday.

McGee, a mother of six, and the others in the group are from the Myrtle Beach area. They drove from South Carolina to Brownsville, Texas, where they had booked a hotel, and then apparently drove into Matamoros Friday, when they were kidnapped, CNN also reported.

McGee's mother, Barbara Burgess, told ABC News her daughter called her Friday when she was 15 minutes away from the doctor's office. When Burgess called McGee later in the day, she never heard back.

Zalandria Brown, sister of Zindell Brown, is in contact with the FBI and local officials, the Associated Press reported.

"This is like a bad dream you wish you could wake up from," she told the AP in a phone interview. "To see a member of your family thrown in the back of a truck and dragged, it is just unbelievable."

Ms. Brown told the AP the cosmetic procedure was a tummy tuck surgery.

"Zindell kept saying, ‘We shouldn’t go down,'" Brown also said, remarking on her brother's misgivings about the trip given the dangers of the locale.

The Justice Department and the State Department are "working closely" together on the case, according to Attorney General Merrick Garland, CNN reported.

"During this difficult time, I want to offer my deepest sympathies to the families of the Americans who were attacked and kidnapped," Garland said, according to CNN.

(Warning: The below video, believed to show the moment assailants captured the victims, is graphic.)

\u201cJust the usual dragging of bodies after a cartel shootout in broad daylight, today in Matamoros.\n\n#Mexico #Narcostate #FailedState\u201d
— David Wolf (@David Wolf) 1677889402

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4 Americans fired upon, kidnapped near Mexico border; FBI offers $50,000 reward for their return, assailants' arrest



Four United States citizens were violently kidnapped at gunpoint in Matamoros, Mexico, Friday, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said in a statement Monday.

"We have no greater priority than the safety of our citizens – this is the US government’s most fundamental role," Salarzar's statement said in part.

"US law enforcement officials from numerous agencies are working with Mexican authorities at all levels of government to secure the safe return of our compatriots," the statement also said.

The Americans crossed into Matamoros in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates, according to a statement issued by the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico.

Matamoros is about 2.7 miles from Brownsville, Texas, just across the border into Mexico.

Shortly after crossing into Mexico, an unidentified gunman fired upon the passengers in the van. All four Americans were placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men, the statement also said.

The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for the return of the victims and the arrest of those involved. The FBI seeks the public's assistance in identifying the persons responsible for the assault and kidnapping. The agency encourages people with information regarding the investigation to call the FBI's San Antonio Division at 210-225-6741. Tips, which can be made anonymously, can be submitted online at https://tips.fbi.gov.

The assault and kidnapping may have resulted from a case of mistaken identity, CNN reported Monday, citing an unnamed U.S. official with knowledge of the investigation.

CNN's source says the Americans were "targeted by mistake and were not the intended victims." The same official said the group traveled to the border city for medical procedures, which the official apparently determined by receipts found in the vehicle.

Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the victims crossed the border to buy medicine and "ended up caught in the crossfire between two armed groups," according to CBS.

The U.S. Consulate in the cartel-plagued city issued a warning Friday instructing U.S. government employees to stay away from a specific area in Matamoros after reports indicated one individual had been killed.

The advisory also reminded U.S. citizens that Tamaulipas, the state in which Matamoros is situated, is classified as "Level 4: Do Not Travel" in the State Department's travel advisory for the country. The "Do Not Travel" advisory for Tamaulipas state is due to crime and kidnapping.

CBS shared a video on Twitter that appears to show a portion of the disturbing event. In the video, one woman is forcefully walked toward and then shoved into the bed of a white pickup truck. Later in the video, armed men are shown dragging and throwing another person next to the woman in the bed of the pickup.

TheBlaze cautions viewers that the below video, believed to show the moment assailants captured the victims, is quite graphic.

\u201cJust the usual dragging of bodies after a cartel shootout in broad daylight, today in Matamoros.\n\n#Mexico #Narcostate #FailedState\u201d
— David Wolf (@David Wolf) 1677889402

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!