4 Kidnapped Americans Crossed The Border To Buy Medicine: Mexican President

The four U.S. citizens kidnapped in Mexico last week crossed the border to buy medicine, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador revealed.

The missing Americans who drove from Texas in their white minivan carrying North Carolina license plates were abducted by unidentified gunmen shortly after they entered Matamoros, a city in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, on March 3. The suspects opened fire into the vehicle, and all four passengers were taken from the scene, officials said.

"The information we have is that they crossed the border to buy medicines in Mexico, there was a confrontation between groups, and they were detained," López Obrador said Monday, adding that "the whole government is working on it," CNN reported.

A Mexican cartel likely mistook the kidnapped Americans for Haitian drug smugglers, the outlet reported citing a U.S. official.

Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar assured that U.S. law enforcement officials are working with Mexican authorities at all levels of government for the safe return of the kidnapped victims.

"We have no greater priority than the safety of our citizens -- this is the U.S. government's most fundamental role," Salazar said. An innocent Mexican citizen also died in the attack, Salazar added.

The officials identified the missing people as Latavia "Tay" McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown, and Eric James Williams, ABC News reported.

McGee reportedly went to Mexico for a medical procedure, her mother, Barbara Burgess, told the news outlet. Burgess said she had contacted her daughter on the day of the appointment and was told she was minutes away from the doctor's office. However, McGee's phone could not be reached after that.

"We are closely following the assault and kidnapping of four U.S. citizens in Matamoros, Mexico. These sorts of attacks are unacceptable.Our thoughts are with the families of these individuals, and we stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday.

According to reports from the White House, the State Department, Department of Homeland Security and Mexican authorities are working together to bring back the kidnapped victims. "We will continue to coordinate with Mexico and push them to bring those responsible to justice," Jean-Pierre added.

Meanwhile, the FBI is investigating the case, in cooperation with other federal partners and Mexican law enforcement agencies. The agency is seeking the public's help to locate the kidnapped citizens and has offered a reward of $50,000 for their safe return and the arrest of the suspects involved.

"The public is urged to call FBI San Antonio Division at 210-225-6741 with any information regarding this investigation. Tips can also be submitted online at https://tips.fbi.gov . Individuals who provide information may remain anonymous," the agency said in a news release.

According to the State Department's travel advisory, American citizens are asked not to travel to Tamaulipas on warnings of "crime and kidnapping." "The U.S. Consulate General reminds U.S. citizens that Tamaulipas is classified as Level 4: Do Not Travel in the State Department's travel advisory for Mexico," U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico said in a release after the incident.

In a previous incident of attack by drug cartels in Mexico, nine members of a U.S. Mormon family, including six children, were killed in 2019 while they were traveling a deserted road between Chihuahua and Sonora states in northwestern Mexico.

The massacre came after the 2009 killings of Mormon activist Benjamin LeBaron and his brother-in-law Luis Carlos Widmar for denouncing cartel kidnappings. LeBaron was kidnapped and killed by around 20 armed men to exact revenge for helping track and arrest a group of drug gang members.