A trip by four Americans to Mexico for cosmetic surgery ended in tragedy. Missing since Friday after being kidnapped, two of the friends were found dead this Tuesday, and the other two are already in the United States after being transported in a caravan made up of ambulances and several military vehicles from Mexico.
The group, made up of one woman and three men, had arranged to go to the city of Matamoros so that the woman could have cosmetic surgery on her belly. They ended up not doing so, as they were caught in an exchange of fire, and were subsequently kidnapped by a cartel that was involved in the shooting – the situation was filmed. Meanwhile the fatalities were identified as being Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown. Among those rescued is Latavia Washington, the woman who was going to have the operation, and who was unharmed. Eric William has serious injuries to his leg.
US authorities are trying to repatriate the bodies of the two fatal victims as quickly as possible, according to information provided by the State Department.
Images collected during and after the case show the van where the Americans were traveling alongside another vehicle, with at least one bullet hole in the driver’s window. A witness told the Associated Press agency that the two cars had collided, and soon after several men arrived equipped with tactical vests and assault weapons.
The group then took the four Americans into a van, in which they headed to an unknown location. Refers to CNN, citing a friend of the group, who ended up getting lost on the way to the office where the surgery was going to be performed. “They were placed in a vehicle and removed from the scene by armed men.”
The two victims who survived were taken to a Texas state hospital, one of which has serious injuries, according to CNN. The two bodies will be examined by Mexican authorities before being handed over to the US government.
For now, it is known that one person has been detained in connection with the case, and US authorities believe that the cartel that kidnapped the four Americans may have confused them with drug traffickers from Haiti.
