Four Americans were kidnapped at gunpoint in Mexico last week. Two out of those are dead while the rest of the two have survived and are now safely back in the US.
Latavia McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown, and Eric James Williams have been identified as the four Americans who were kidnapped in Matamoros, Mexico. Authorities believe the Mexican drug cartel mistook them for Haitian drug smugglers.
On March 3, four US citizens were kidnapped by armed men while driving into the city of Matamoros in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. Their relatives told the US media that four people had traveled there for cosmetic surgery.
“Los estaban aventando a la camioneta como si fueran perros muertos”, dijo la hermana de uno de los ciudadanos estadunidenses que fueron secuestrados en #Matamoros, #Tamaulipas. La vocera de la Casa Blanca dijo que “este tipo de ataques son inaceptables”: pic.twitter.com/sfz1FG3p03
— Ciro Gómez Leyva (@CiroGomezL) March 7, 2023
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby appeared to confirm the deaths on Tuesday. “We offer our deepest condolences to the friends and families of those who were killed in these attacks,” he said, adding that all attacks on US citizens were “unacceptable, no matter where or under what circumstances they occur”.
During a news conference, the governor of Tamaulipas, Américo Villarreal Anaya, said that Mexico’s Attorney General’s office had confirmed the two deaths.
Where is Tamaulipas located?
Tamaulipas, which is officially known as the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. It is one of the 31 states which comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico.
It is located in northeast Mexico and is bordered by the states of Nuevo León to the west, San Luis Potosí to the southwest, and Veracruz to the southeast. To the north, it has a 230-mile stretch of the U.S.–Mexico border with the state of Texas, and to the east, it is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico.
In 1824, after the Mexican War of Independence from Spain, and the fall of the Mexican Empire, Tamaulipas was one of the 19 founder states of the new United Mexican States.
Is Tamaulipas safe?
According to the website for the government of the United Kingdom, “Tamaulipas is dangerous due to the presence of many organized crime groups who fight for control of drug trafficking routes. There is a risk of armed robbery and kidnap. On 4 March 2023, four American tourists were kidnapped after being shot at by armed individuals in the town of Matamoros, on the US-Mexico border.”
