March 7, 2023 - 2 Americans dead, 2 found alive in Mexico kidnapping

The two Americans who authorities say were kidnapped in Mexico and found dead have been identified as Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown, a US official familiar with the ongoing investigation tells CNN.

Their bodies will be examined by Mexican authorities before their remains are turned over to the US government, the source said.

The two survivors have been identified as Latavia Washington McGee and Eric Williams, according to the source. The pair was taken to a Texas hospital for treatment and observation.

The Americans’ families have been notified, the official indicated.

The Mexican government said at a press conference that Washington McGee was found uninjured and Williams suffered a bullet wound to the leg.

At least one person has been detained in connection to the death of two American citizens, Tamaulipas Gov. Américo Villarreal said.

The person was identified as a 24-year-old, according to the governor. He was undertaking “surveillance functions of the victims," he added.

The four kidnapped Americans were found in a “wooden house” outside Matamoros, Mexico. Two of them were alive and two were dead, the governor said.

Tamaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios Mojica described the steps taken by Mexican law enforcement and investigators after four Americans were kidnapped on Friday.

At a news conference Tuesday, speaking through a translator, Barrios Mojica said the Americans were driving a white minivan when a pickup truck pulled up, and armed men loaded them into the back of the truck.

At that point "protocols were activated" and Mexican authorities started communications with the United States when they noticed the mini van's license place was from the US. Barrios Mojica said the information that they were American citizens wasn't verified right away until US officials ran the license plate.

Barrios Mojica said police were also able to identify the pickup truck. With all of this information, officials started "several searches" with various different agencies, he said.

On Tuesday about 8 a.m. local time, Barrios Mojica said officials found the four Americans — two alive and two dead — at a house outside Matamoros. One of the survivors was shot in the leg, he said.

Barrios Mojica said police detained one person at the house.

Two of the four Americans who authorities say were kidnapped in Mexico have been found dead, according to the Tamaulipas governor. The two surviving Americans are now in the care of the FBI and have returned to the United States, an official familiar with the investigation tells CNN.

Investigators believe a Mexican cartel likely mistook them for Haitian drug smugglers, a US official said.

Here's what we know so far:

The White House said it is still working with Mexican officials to learn more about the deaths of two American citizens who were kidnapped and killed this week. 

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said senior White House officials were engaged on the matter and President Joe Biden was updated. She said the US was still working with Mexican officials to have “all Americans returned to the United States.”

“We extend our deepest condolences to their families and friends,” Jean-Pierre said. “For the sake of privacy and out of respect to the families, we are going to refrain from further comment about those circumstances at this time.”

She said administration officials were in touch with family members of the Americans kidnapped in Mexico, two of whom are dead, according to Mexican authorities.

Jean-Pierre said US agencies, including the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and Drug Enforcement Administration, were working on the situation in coordination with their Mexican counterparts.  

She noted previous administration efforts to disrupt transnational crime syndicates, including Mexican drug cartels and human smugglers.

“We remain committed to applying the full weight of our efforts and resources to counter them,” she said. “Right now our immediate concerns are for the safe return of our citizens, the health and well-being of those who survived this attack, and the support which must be rendered to the families of those who need it.”

Latavia “Tay” Washington McGee, 33, who drove to Mexico with Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown and Eric Williams got lost while trying to locate the medical clinic they were heading to, Washington McGee’s close friend who did not want to be identified told CNN. 

According to Washington McGee’s friend, the group of friends got lost and reached out to the doctor’s office for directions on Friday but were struggling to communicate with the doctor’s office because they had poor cellphone signal.

The friend said she reached out to the doctor’s office on Saturday for more information after she became concerned.

“When I reached out to the doctor’s office they told me that Latavia had reached out to them to ask them for directions because she was lost," the friend said. "They sent me a screenshot of the messages and they said they sent her the address and asked her if she was using a GPS.”

She also said that the office employee she spoke with told her that Washington McGee also messaged the doctor’s office from her friend’s phone, but the office employee didn’t notice the message until a few hours later.

The two surviving American citizens kidnapped in Mexico are now in the care of the FBI and have returned to the United States, an official familiar with the investigation tells CNN.

The two will receive medical treatment and observations at a hospital in Texas, the source added.

The bodies of the two people who were killed will be examined by Mexican authorities before the remains are turned over to the US government, a source said.

The Justice Department is "working closely" with the US State Department on the kidnapping of four Americans in northeastern Mexico last week, according to Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Garland said Tuesday that he has been briefed with the FBI "and senior department officials are working closely with our counterparts at the State Department.”

Two of the four kidnapped Americans were found dead and two were found alive, Mexican officials said Tuesday. A US official familiar with the case previously told CNN that investigators believe a Mexican cartel likely mistook them for Haitian drug smugglers and that the Americans are believed to have been targeted by mistake.

The bodies of two American citizens killed in an attack by suspected Mexican cartel members will be examined by Mexican authorities prior to their remains being turned over to the US government, a source familiar with the investigation told CNN. 

After a coroner in Mexico completes a forensic examination to determine the cause of death, the remains are expected to be promptly repatriated back to the United States, the source said.

Two of the four Americans kidnapped in the border city of Matamoros were found alive, with one severely injured, according to a US official familiar with the ongoing investigation.