Mexican authorities have arrested a suspect in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Americans in the country.
QUICK FACTS:
- Officials in Mexico have arrested suspect Jose Guadalupe N. in connection with the kidnapping of four Americans, two of whom were murdered.
- Guadalupe was standing guard at the house where cartel members held captive and tortured Latavia “Tay” McGee, Eric James Williams, Shaeed Woodard, and Zindell Brown.
- Authorities have not revealed whether or not Guadalupe was involved with the “Gulf Cartel,” the group accused of controlling the region.
- The Mexican national has been the only suspect arrested so far, but investigators continue to search for other members.
FBI SPECIAL AGENT RICHARD KOLKO ON TRAVELING TO MEXICO FOLLOWING THE KIDNAPPING:
“Do not drive across the border if you want to go to Mexico. Certainly go to Mexico, but be careful. Fly in. Go to the tourist areas. That’s where you’re going to be the safest,” Kolko said.
BACKGROUND:
- The four Americans were kidnapped by the drug cartel at gunpoint, tortured, and held captive while on a road trip to Mexico for “cosmetic surgery.”
- The group was crossing from Brownsville, Texas into Matamoros last week, when their vehicle was struck by gunfire.
- The victims were discovered in a wooden shack Tuesday in Ejido Tecolote, a rural area east of the Matamoros.
- According to Tamaulipas state chief prosecutor Irving Barrios, Woodward and Brown had been murdered when the four were found.
