4 Americans missing, feared kidnapped in Matamoros, Mexico

[Judi Lynn]

24 minutes ago

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Four U.S. citizens have been kidnapped after gunmen opened fire on their vehicle in the northern Mexico border city of Matamoros, the FBI said Sunday.

The four had entered Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas, on Friday. They were travelling in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates.

The FBI San Antonio Division office said the vehicle came under fire shortly after it entered Mexico.

“All four Americans were placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men,” the office said. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for the return of the victims and the arrest of the culprits.

Matamoros is home to warring factions of the Gulf drug cartel.

More:
https://apnews.com/article/mexico-americans-kidnapped-gulf-drug-cartel-2700637729e8f3a5065005231aa8d4d3

[NBachers]

1. What a nightmare

[hlthe2b]

2. Years ago, I'd cross into Matamoros from Brownsville--even by myself for a few hours

A few years later, it was scarcely safe to walk/run the bike paths early or late in the day that runs through the Brownsville golf course--on the US side-- but are just adjacent to the border. It has been many years since I've been there and from what I hear, the Brownsville community still largely embraces those coming across to work in the community and strong ties remain, despite all the turmoil and rhetoric coming from RW factions at the state level. But this kind of activity so close to them must really be leaving them shaken.

[Judi Lynn]

3. The FBI is searching for four United States citizens who have been kidnapped in Mexico.

The four United States citizens traveled to Mexico in a white minivan with North Carolina plates last week
By Nicholas Rice Published on March 6, 2023 09:06 AM


The FBI is searching for four United States citizens who have been kidnapped in Mexico.

Last week, the group traveled into Matamoros in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, which is just south of Brownsville, Texas, in a white minivan with North Carolina plates, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City said Sunday.

Shortly after they crossed into Mexico, the embassy said unidentified gunmen shot the passengers of the vehicle, whose identities have been not revealed.

The alleged suspect then moved the four Americans into another vehicle, before fleeing the scene with them, per the embassy.

More:
https://people.com/crime/fbi-searching-for-4-us-citizens-kidnapped-in-mexico/

[Judi Lynn]

4. 1 of 4 people kidnapped in Mexico is Myrtle Beach resident, family spokesperson says

By Kristin Nelson
Published: Mar. 6, 2023 at 5:18 PM CST|Updated: 4 hours ago

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF/AP) – Gunmen kidnapped four U.S. citizens who crossed into Mexico from Texas last week so one of them could undergo a cosmetic surgical procedure but were caught in a shootout that killed at least one Mexican citizen, U.S. and Mexican officials said Monday.

One of the four Americans kidnapped is a Myrtle Beach resident, according to the family spokesperson.
The spokesperson identified the Myrtle Beach resident as LaTavia Washington McGee, who is also a native of Lake City.

The family spokesperson said they were contacted by the FBI on Monday to confirm that McGee and three of her friends were taken.

WMBF News is still working to confirm the identities of the other three people involved.

More:
https://www.wmbfnews.com/2023/03/06/1-4-people-kidnapped-mexico-is-myrtle-beach-resident-family-spokesperson-says/