Two Americans kidnapped in Mexico are found dead, two alive
said
"an innocent Mexican citizen" was killed in the attack. The FBI offered a $50,000 reward for their return and the arrest of those involved.
Officials had little to share about the victims' condition and whereabouts on Monday, though some hinted that the group had crossed the border either to buy medicines or undergo medical procedures.
Zalandria Brown told the Associated Press that her brother, Zindell, and two friends had accompanied a third friend to Mexico for a procedure known as a tummy tuck.
"This is like a bad dream you wish you could wake up from," she said. "To see a member of your family thrown in the back of a truck and dragged, it is just unbelievable."
Mexican officials now say the group was caught in the crossfire of rival cartel groups, the AP reports.
Many parts of Mexico have been terrorized by fights between feuding drug cartels for years, and the state of Tamaulipas in particular is considered one of the country's most violent areas.
The U.S. State Department advises Americans not to travel to the state due to crime and kidnapping, noting that criminal groups there are prone to targeting public and private passenger vehicles, "often taking passengers and demanding ransom payments."
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at 4:29 pm