4 abducted Americans traveled to Mexico for medical attention before being attacked in Matamoros; 2 found dead

TOAlfredo Peña and Matthew Barakat, Associated Press AP logo

Tuesday, March 7, 2023 5:17 pm

Two kidnapped Americans found dead in Mexico, two more alive

MATAMOROS, Mexico. Two US citizens who went missing after being forcibly kidnapped last week in the northern Mexican border town of Matamoros have been found dead, while two others are alive, the state governor said Tuesday.

Tamaulipas Gov. Americaco Villarreal said one of the surviving US citizens was injured, while another was not.

One person has been arrested in connection with the kidnapping, Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador said during his daily press conference on Tuesday.

On Sunday, the FBI said it was working with Mexican authorities to track down missing Americans who were abducted on Friday. A relative of one of them said on Monday that they traveled together from South Carolina so that one of them could get a tummy tuck from a doctor in Matamoros.

Shortly after entering Mexico on Friday, they were caught in the crossfire of rival cartel factions. The video shows how the militants load them into the back of a pickup truck.

Villarreal confirmed the death by telephone during a morning press conference for Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, saying details of the four abducted Americans had been confirmed by prosecutors.

“Of the four, two are dead, one person is injured and another is alive, and right now ambulances and other security personnel are on their way to provide appropriate support,” Villarreal said.

No further details about where and how they were found, the governor did not share.

Mexican officials said a Mexican woman was also killed in Friday’s shootout.

The incident illustrates the reign of terror that has reigned for years in Matamoros, a city dominated by factions of the powerful Persian Gulf drug cartel who often fight among themselves. Amid the violence, thousands of Mexicans have disappeared in the state of Tamaulipas alone.

© 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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