Two US citizens kidnapped by suspected Mexican drug traffickers were found dead on Tuesday, while two others survived, officials said, in what appears to be a tragic case of mistaken identity.
Washington vowed to do everything in its power to ensure justice for the victims, who crossed the border into the crime-ridden city of Matamoros in Tamaulipas state on Friday for medical reasons.
Tamaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios told reporters that early indications were that the kidnapping was the result of “mixture” rather than a targeted attack.
Officials said the two survivors were returned to the United States via a land border crossing.
The American media named them Latavia Washington McGee and Eric James Williams.
According to Tamaulipas Governor Americo Villarreal, one was shot in the leg and the other was not hurt.
The victims visited Mexico because one of them was planning to undergo cosmetic surgery, he said.
It was not immediately clear whether the two deaths occurred before or during the rescue operation, but Villarreal said a preliminary investigation suggested all four were alive at least until Monday.
“During the three days following the criminal act, the four people who were deprived of their liberty were transferred to different places, including a clinic, to create confusion and avoid rescue attempts,” he added.
Villarreal said the bodies of the two US citizens who lost their lives were expected to be brought back to Mexico within hours after forensic studies were completed.
‘Relentless’ US search
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said in an earlier statement that the victims had traveled to Matamoros on Friday in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates.
It offered a reward of $50,000 for help in the return of the unknown victims and the arrest of the perpetrators.
“Soon after crossing into Mexico, unidentified gunmen fired on the passengers in the (minivan). All four Americans were placed in a vehicle and escorted from the scene by armed men,” the FBI said.
Mexican authorities said that a 33-year-old Mexican woman died near the scene, possibly from a stray bullet.
The White House described the kidnapping as “unacceptable” and expressed condolences to the families of the victims.
“We’re going to work closely with the Mexican government to ensure justice is done in this case,” said John Kirby, a White House national security spokesman.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department would be “relentless” in pursuing justice on behalf of the victims.
“We will do everything in our power to identify, locate, and hold accountable the individuals responsible for this attack on American citizens,” he said.
Mexican authorities said they arrested a suspect who was guarding the abductees at a home in Matamoros.
cartel hotspot
“We are very sorry that this is happening in our country,” Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador told reporters, expressing his condolences to the families of the victims.
“Responsibles are being searched. They are being punished,” he said.
Matamoros, located across the US border from Brownsville, Texas, is one of the areas in Mexico most affected by drug trafficking and other organized crime.
The Latin American country has been plagued by bloodshed related to the cartel, which has seen more than 340,000 people killed since the government deployed the army in 2006 in the war on drugs.
The US State Department advises against travel to Tamaulipas due to threats including “gun fights, murders, armed robberies, carjackings, kidnappings, enforced disappearances, extortion and sexual assaults”.
Despite the risks, Matamoros, located on the banks of the Rio Grande River that separates the two countries, is a major stopping point for immigrants heading to the United States.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)