Two of the four Americans were kidnapped at gunpoint last week in Mexico. While two of the dead, the other two have returned to the United States, according to Mexican and American officials.
Four American citizens were kidnapped by armed men on March 3 as they entered the city of Matamoros in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, north of the Texas border. Relatives told sources that they traveled abroad for cosmetic surgery.
One man from Tamaulipas, identified only as José "N", 24 years old, has been arrested. John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, stated, "We offer our heartfelt condolences to the companions and loved ones of those killed in these attacks."
The two surviving victims were delivered to the United States on Tuesday in cooperation with the US consulate in Matamoros, according to a message by the attorney general of Tamaulipas. They were returned under armed guard by a heavily armed military convoy from Mexico.
Later, the FBI confirmed that two Americans were discovered dead at the scene. The other two were transported to American hospitals for treatment. The FBI stated that one of the surviving victims sustained serious injuries during the attack.
In addition, the agency will collaborate with international partners and other law enforcement agencies to hold accountable those responsible for this horrific and violent attack. US officials reported that the bodies of Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown Zindell have been recovered and are being returned home.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico stated that they were very sorry that this occurred in their country. They extended their condolences to the families of the victims, their friends, and the United States government. He also mentioned that they will continue working to ensure peace and calm.
The injured Americans were identified as Latavia "Tay" McGee, a South Carolina mother of six, and Eric James Williams. The four were traveling in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates through Matamoros, a city of 500,000 located directly across the border from the Texas city of Brownsville, when unidentified gunmen opened fire, the FBI reported this week.
A video shows heavily armed men loading them into a pickup truck. Others, who appear to be unconscious, are dragged to the truck while one is forcibly placed inside. On Friday, a 33-year-old Mexican woman, believed to be a bystander more than one block away, was killed in an incident.
Mexican officials confirmed the arrest of a 24-year-old man on Tuesday and the discovery of four Americans in a wooden shack outside Matamoros. The victims were moved to various locations between Friday's abduction and Tuesday's discovery "to create confusion," according to officials.
A US law enforcement source told sources that investigators believe the Gulf Cartel, one of the earliest known organized crime groups in Mexico, is responsible for the attack. Uncertainty remains as to whether the Americans were ambushed, misidentified as rival drug traffickers, or caught in the crossfire between warring factions.
Ms. McGee was rumored to be traveling to the border town in Mexico to undergo a tummy tuck, a cosmetic surgery procedure that removes abdominal fat. The FBI offered a reward of $50,000 (£42,000) for their safe return.
