5 Arrested After Deadly Kidnapping of Americans in Mexico

Cartel reportedly issues apology over kidnappings, murders

A woman is carried to the back of a white pickup truck in this still image obtained from social media video that allegedly shows the kidnapping of Americans in Matamoros, Mexico, on March 3, 2023. (Video obtained by Reuters)

Mexican officials arrested five people in connection to the recent kidnapping and murder of Americans near the U.S.–Mexico border, according to the attorney general for the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.

In a statement on Twitter on March 10, Tamaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios Mojica confirmed the arrests of five suspects “linked” to the March 3 incident in the border city of Matamoros “for the crimes of aggravated kidnapping and intentional simple homicide.” Another person who was recently arrested was linked to the kidnappings and murders, he wrote.

Mojica wrote on the night of March 9 in a separate statement that five vehicles, including a Lamborghini model stolen on U.S. soil, were located in Matamoros. Earlier in the week, officials confirmed the arrest of one suspect who was guarding the victims on the outskirts of the city.

A Mexican woman and two Americans, Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown, were killed when someone opened fire on Woodard, Brown, and two other Americans after they arrived in Matamoros, located just south of the border from Brownsville, Texas, according to officials. The bodies of the two dead Americans were repatriated to the United States on March 9, officials said.

Tamaulipas Gov. Americo Villarreal previously said in a news conference that a woman and a man had survived the incident. They were identified as Eric Williams and LaTavia Washington McGee. The four U.S. citizens reportedly had traveled from the Carolinas to Mexico to receive cosmetic surgery.

The arrests came as a drug cartel allegedly involved in the kidnapping issued an apology over the incident, according to The Associated Press and CNN. A purported handwritten letter from the cartel was posted in a public area in Matamoros this week, while AP reported that a state law enforcement official provided the newswire service with the apology.

“We have decided to turn over those who were directly involved and responsible in the events, who at all times acted under their own decision-making and lack of discipline,” the letter reads, adding that the individuals went against the cartel’s rules, which include “respecting the life and well-being of the innocent.”

Photos published online also appeared to show the five cartel members who were handed over to Mexican authorities. The Epoch Times couldn’t confirm the authenticity of the apology, the letter, or the photos.

“The [Gulf Cartel] apologizes to the society of Matamoros, the relatives of Ms. Areli, and the affected American people and families,” the letter also reads, according to CNN.

“The Gulf Cartel, Scorpion Group, strongly condemns the events of last Friday,” the letter added, referring to a branch of the criminal organization.

Details

On March 3, after the four Americans crossed the southern border and entered downtown Matamoros, they came under gunfire and were then loaded into a pickup truck. The slain Mexican woman, identified as 33-year-old Areli Pablo Servando, was apparently killed by a stray bullet.

Tamaulipas attorney general's office personnel walk at the scene where authorities found the bodies of two of four Americans kidnapped by gunmen, in Matamoros, Mexico, on March 7, 2023. (Daniel Becerril/Reuters)

Another friend, who remained in Brownsville, called police after being unable to reach the group that crossed the border on March 3.

Brownsville Police Department spokesman Martin Sandoval said on March 9 that officers followed protocol by checking local hospitals and jails after receiving the report about the missing people. A detective was assigned to the case within the hour and then alerted the FBI after realizing the people had crossed into Mexico. The FBI took over the case as videos showing the Matamoros shootout, with the victims matching the description of the missing people, began to circulate on social media.

The surviving Americans told investigators they were taken to a clinic in an ambulance to receive first aid, a statement said. By reviewing police surveillance video around the city, authorities were able to identify the ambulance and find the clinic. No arrests were made at the clinic, according to the statement.

In the meantime, the FBI and U.S. State Department have advised Americans to refrain from traveling to Mexico, especially certain states that are placed on the department’s “Level 4 - Do Not Travel” list because of the high risk of kidnappings and crime.

“If you’re driving there, which most people will from Arizona, stay on the main highways. Try not to veer too far off course. That’s where you can kind of get into sticky situations,” FBI Phoenix spokeswoman Brooke Brennan told Fox-10. “Have an emergency contact, make sure you’re checking in with them, and make sure they know how often you plan to check in with them.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.