In a tragic turn of events, two of the four U.S. citizens who were violently kidnapped in Mexico last week have been found dead while the other two were found alive, according to both Mexican and U.S. authorities on Tuesday. The governor of Tamaulipas, Américo Villarreal, reported that one of the surviving victims was wounded while the other was unharmed. The four Americans were discovered in a wooden shack, guarded by a male who was later detained. According to Villarreal, their captors had shuffled them around, even taking them to a medical facility, to confuse and avoid any rescue efforts. The surviving U.S. citizens were identified as Latavia “Tay” McGee and Eric James Williams, while the deceased are identified as Zindell Brown and Shaeed Woodard.
The Americans were found in a rural area east of the border city of Matamoros, with the two surviving victims escorted by federal and state officials to an international bridge at the U.S.-Mexico border, where they received medical attention before being returned safely to the U.S. The FBI later confirmed that both surviving victims were admitted to a U.S. hospital, with one receiving treatment for critical injuries. In a press briefing, State Department spokesperson Ned Price stated that officials were still in the process of repatriating the remains of the deceased victims, declining to provide further information about the investigation.
Mexican authorities, in collaboration with U.S. counterparts, have launched a joint investigation and search operation to identify and apprehend those responsible. Villarreal vowed that “those responsible will be found and punished,” while Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador lamented the sensationalist media coverage of the crime in the U.S., stating that it was not like that “when they kill Mexicans in the United States.” The incident has sparked widespread outrage and concern, with the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico and President Biden condemning the violent kidnapping and offering their condolences to the families of the victims.