Two of the four Americans kidnapped in Mexico found dead

March 8, 2023

Two of the four Americans who were kidnapped in Mexico on Friday after crossing the border were found alive and the other two are dead, according to an announcement by Mexican officials on Tuesday.

The victims were family members who traveled together so that one could get a medical procedure done.

After they crossed the border in a white minivan with a North Carolina license plate, the vehicle was surrounded by gunmen who fired on it and took the passengers at gunpoint.

Tamaulipas Gov. Américo Villarreal Anaya told Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador during a press conference that ambulances and security personnel were en route to pick up the two surviving Americans, one of whom had unidentified injuries.

“We send our condolences to the relatives of the victims, their friends, to the people of the U.S., to the government of the U.S.,” López Obrador said, according to The Wall Street Journal. “Of course, we lament what happens in our country, and especially this.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland said Tuesday that the FBI is working with the Mexican authorities to respond to the attack and deaths. “During this difficult time, I want to offer my deepest sympathies to the families of the Americans who were attacked and kidnapped,” he added.