2 of the 4 Americans kidnapped by gunmen in Mexico found dead
- The group of Americans had crossed into Mexico from Texas when they were fired upon and abducted
- Incident threw a spotlight on gang violence in Mexico and sparked angry reactions from some US lawmakers
Two of four Americans kidnapped by gunmen on Friday just after they drove into northeastern Mexico have been found dead, US and Mexican officials said on Tuesday, in a grim reminder of the lawlessness plaguing parts of the border region.
The survivors and the two bodies were discovered by Mexican security forces on Tuesday morning in a wood cabin southeast of the border city of Matamoros, said Americo Villarreal, governor of Tamaulipas, the state the four crossed into from Texas.
Authorities were still investigating how the two Americans died, and one Mexican official said the most likely explanation for the group’s abduction was a case of mistaken identity.
One of the two surviving Americans suffered a gunshot wound to his leg that was not life-threatening, while the other, a woman, was not injured, Villarreal told a news conference.
A Mexican woman, 33, also died during the kidnapping ordeal, apparently from a stray bullet, he said.
A 24-year-old man guarding them at the cabin was arrested at the scene. Before they were found, the four had been moved to a succession of locations in the area, including a local clinic in a bid to throw law enforcement off the trail, Villarreal said.