Two alive, two dead, in Mexico kidnapping

Only two of a group of four Americans kidnapped on a trip to Tamaulipas, Mexico, on 3 March have survived, according to reports by US and Mexican officials.

The pair – named by relatives as Latavia ‘Tay’ McGee, a mother of six from South Carolina, and Eric James Williams – have been transported to the US for medical treatment. One of the two survivors is said to have sustained ‘serious injuries during the attack’.

The two other Americans – identified as Zindell Brown and Shaeed Woodard – died during the kidnapping. Their bodies have been recovered and will be repatriated.

The US citizens were kidnapped by armed men while driving through the city of Matamoros, in the north-eastern state of Tamaulipas – having crossed the border from Texas to receive cosmetic surgery. They were in a white minivan with North Carolina licence plates when the unidentified gunmen opened fire. A Mexican woman, believed to be a bystander, was also killed.

The victims had been relocated multiple times to confuse authorities. Prior to their discovery, the FBI had offered a US$50,000 reward for the return of the four Americans.

One 24-year-old man has been arrested – identified only as José N from Tamaulipas. It is unclear what motivated the kidnapping, although a CBS report identified the Gulf Cartel, an organised crime group, as potentially behind the incident.

Medical tourism in Mexico continues to be popular among many Americans, in part due to the lower costs of treatment compared with US clinics. Despite this, organised crime holds sizeable influence in parts of the country, and the threat of kidnapping and other crimes against tourists should not be dismissed outright.

Consequently, the US State Department advises that travellers should not visit six Mexican states due to these risks – including Tamaulipas, which holds a Level 4 – Do Not Travel warning.