Kidnapping in Mexico

Two Americans were kidnapped at gunpoint in Matamoros, Mexico, last week, and their two friends who were also abducted died during the incident. One man has been arrested. Latavia Washington McGee is recovering at the hospital with no injuries, while Eric Williams is at a Texas hospital to undergo surgery for three gunshot wounds in his leg. The news that Eric Williams was alive brought relief to his wife and son, but their hearts were breaking for the other two families who lost their loved ones. The group of four Americans had travelled from South Carolina to Mexico for Ms McGee’s tummy tuck appointment. They were found at a wooden shack outside Matamoros after being transferred to various locations between the kidnapping and their discovery on Tuesday. The Mexican officials said they were transferred to create confusion. The group was brought back under armed escort by a heavily armed Mexican military convoy. Ms Williams said her husband was emotional as he spoke to her on the phone, and Ms McGee was also emotional, crying on the phone to her mother, as she watched two of her friends die in front of her. A Mexican woman, believed to be a 33-year-old bystander, was killed in the incident.

Why those Americans were targeted

According to a US official familiar with the investigation, investigators believe the Americans were targeted by a Mexican cartel who mistook them for Haitian drug smugglers. According to the official, investigators have found no evidence of any criminal history on the part of the Americans involved.

Mexican authorities stated that they are still investigating. Tamaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios Mojica stated that “confusion” led to the kidnapping incident and that it was not a “direct attack.” According to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, political “adversaries” in the United States and Mexico are making a “scandal” out of the kidnapping.