Mexican president: Four kidnapped U.S. citizens have been found, and two are dead

Four U.S. citizens abducted in Matamoros, Mexico, have been found, and two were dead.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador confirmed the deaths during his Tuesday morning press conference, when the governor of Tamaulipas, Américo Villarreal, updated the president that the four Americans were located.

Villareal also confirmed that one of the surviving citizens was wounded. The other was not.

He said that the discovery of the Americans was confirmed by the State Prosecutor's Office and added that "of the four there are two of them dead, one person injured and the other alive," but he did not offer more details.

"Right now the ambulances and the security personnel are going to provide the medical support that may be required," Villarreal added.

During the same conference, Secretary of Security Rosa Icela Rodríguez said a suspect was arrested.

The four Americans had been identified as cousins Latavia McGee and Shaeed Woodard, and their friends Zindell Brown and Eric James Williams.

The group had traveled to Matamoros, according to family reports, to accompany McGee, who was planning to undergo cosmetic surgery.

The U.S. citizens went missing after unidentified gunmen opened fired on their vehicle in Matamoros.

At least one Mexican citizen died in the incident, according to Ken Salazar, the U.S. ambassador of Mexico, on Monday.

"We have no greater priority than the safety of our citizens," he said in a statement. "[T]his is the US government’s most fundamental role."

The U.S. consulate in Matamoros issued an alert to avoid the area after reports of the incident. The Mexican state of Tamaulipas is currently classified as aLevel 4: Do not travel area in the State Department's travel advisory for Mexico.

The FBI announced a $50,000 reward for any information that leads to the arrest of any other people involved. The public can submit comments online or call the FBI San Antonio Division at (210) 225-6741.

Copyright 2023 Texas Public Radio. To see more, visit Texas Public Radio.