Americans Missing in Mexico Had Gone There So One, a Mother of 6, Could Have Medical Procedure!
Four American citizens who took a trip to Mexico are now missing and presumed in danger. Reports say that the friends made the road trip so that one of them, a mother of six, could undergo a medical procedure.
Latavia “Tay” Washington McGee, 33, drove to Mexico with Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown and their friend Eric for the procedure but she never made it to her doctor’s appointment on Friday, her mother Barbara Burgess told CNN.
Shortly after crossing the boarder the vehicle carrying the friends was shot up. When it was disabled, another vehicle pulled up next to it and forced everyone inside before fleeing the scene.
Burgess says that on Sunday she got a call from the FBI informing her that her daughter had been kidnapped and was potentially in danger. McGee's family began to search online for any news pertaining to their disappearance when they found a video that showed a woman and other unidentified people being roughly loaded into a white pickup truck. The video shows the woman being pulled or pushed onto the bed of the truck by two unidentified people as a third visibly armed man watches. The three men then appear to drag at least two limp people onto the truck bed, the video shows. The family is convinced that the woman was indeed McGee because they recognized her hair and clothes.
Investigators believe the Americans were mistakenly targeted by a Mexican cartel that likely mistook them for Haitian drug smugglers, a US official familiar with the ongoing investigation tells CNN. According to Mexican officials, an innocent bystander was hit was a stray bullet and died at the scene.
The US citizens have no concerning criminal history that has been identified by investigators, the source said.
The group of friends, who were bonded “like glue,” grew up together in South Carolina, Brown’s sister Zalandria Brown told CNN. She added, that she and her brother are also close. “Zindell is like my shadow, he’s like my son, he’s like my hip bone. We’re just tight like that.”
This wasn't the first time McGee (right) had gone to Mexico, her mother says. McGee traveled to the country "about two to three years ago," for a previous medical procedure.
"Medical Tourism" is on the rise in Mexico due to the lower price points of the procedures and the closeness to the United States but, with the current crime rate of the country, it's very dangerous to travel there.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Monday that the group had crossed the border to “buy medicines” and assured the “whole government” is working to resolve the case.
Federal and local Mexican authorities are participating in the effort to locate the missing Americans, Tamaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios Mojica said Monday.
The White House and US State Department are “closely following” the case, spokespeople said in briefings Monday.
“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 told reporters on Monday, adding that the State and Homeland Security departments are coordinating with Mexican authorities.
“We will continue to coordinate with Mexico and push them to bring those responsible to justice,” Jean-Pierre said.
The FBI is also requesting the public’s help in finding the Americans and identifying anyone involved in the incident. The agency announced a $50,000 reward for the return of the victims and the arrest of those responsible.
