March 7 (UPI) — Mexican authorities say they have discovered the bodies of two Americans who were kidnapped Friday in the city of Matamoros, and recovered two hostages, alive.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the Americans got caught up in a dispute between armed groups. During a press conference Tuesday, Obrador played a phone call with Tamaulipas Gov. Americo Villarreal Anaya, who said emergency services were caring for the survivors.
The four Americans were discovered at a location believed to be a medical clinic in the city of Matamoros. One of the survivors is injured, a U.S. official told CNN.
“Derived from the joint search actions, the four American citizens deprived of their liberty last Friday were found,” Tamaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios wrote on Twitter. “Unfortunately, two dead. Investigation and intelligence work continue to capture those responsible. Details will be given later.”
The U.S. embassy in Mexico said that gunmen shot into a vehicle containing the four Americans and subsequently “herded them into another vehicle and fled the scene with them. U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said a Mexican bystander was also killed.
The four Americans who were kidnapped were identified as Latavia McGee, Shaeed Woodward, Zindell Brown, and Eric James Williams.
McGee’s mother, Barbara Burgess, told ABC News her daughter was in Mexico for a cosmetic surgery procedure.
The FBI on Monday had announced a $50,000 reward for the return of the four Americans.
