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On March 3, harrowing footage of armed Mexican gunmen violently abducting a group of American travelers in Matamoros went viral across the internet. Now, authorities have given a startling update about the individuals involved in the chilling incident.

According to CNN, two of the four Black Americans kidnapped on Friday were found dead, and two were found alive, according to Mexican officials.

Tamaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios was the first to issue an update about the group’s status. “Unfortunately, two are dead. Investigation and intelligence work continue to capture those responsible,” he said during a press conference.

Latavia Washington McGee, a mother of six, and Eric Williams survived the violent kidnapping. Authorities say Washington McGee was uninjured when they found her. Williams was shot several times in both legs, his wife Michele Williams told CNN Tuesday.

Both victims are currently with the FBI and have been sent to a hospital in Texas for medical treatment.

Sadly, U.S. officials confirmed that their friends Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown did not survive the vicious attack. Mexican authorities will examine their bodies before the rest of their remains are sent back to the U.S.

According to the report, all four victims were found in a “wooden house” in Matamoros. Investigators had difficulty finding the group over the last few days because the suspects kept moving them to different locations around the city “in order to create confusion and avoid rescue efforts.”

What happened before the kidnapping occurred?

The news comes just days after the group was abducted at gunpoint in Matamoros, which authorities believe may have been a case of mistaken identity.

The four South Carolina residents were a group of “tight-knit” friends that recently traveled to Mexico to assist Washington McGee with a medical procedure she had scheduled. The Neighborhood Talk noted that the mother of six was in Mexico to receive “a tummy tuck.”

McGee drove the group down to Mexico for the procedure, but they got lost while trying to find the medical clinic. They tried to reach the clinic for directions multiple times but needed help communicating with staff because of their poor cell phone connection.

Things took a dangerous turn when the group approached the Mexico border and was fired upon by several unidentified gunmen. Video footage of the chilling attack shows several men pulling and dragging each group member out of the vehicle and placing them in a white van.

Officials believe the group may have been targeted by a Mexican cartel “that likely mistook them for Haitian drug smugglers.” Officials added that all four U.S. citizens have no criminal history that investigators have identified.

So far, one suspect has been detained in connection to the incident.

The State Department has issued a warning to American travelers who are headed over to Mexico for spring break. Officials from the department are warning travelers headed for Cabo, Cancun, and Tulum to exercise “increased caution” due to crime and kidnapping in the area. Those en route to Tamaulipas State, where the kidnapping occurred, should not travel to the area at this time due to a surge in crime.

Read the full travel advisory here. 

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