COLUMBIA, S.C. — Two of four South Carolina natives kidnapped in Mexico were being treated in a Brownsville, Texas, hospital Tuesday, while State Department officials worked to have the remains of the two who were killed returned, officials say.
Barbara Burgess, the mother of LaTavia McGee, one of the survivors, told television station WMPE she had talked with her daughter, who was distraught but unharmed. She watched a family member die, Burgess said.
The other survivor, Eric Williams, was shot in a leg, the Mexican government reported.
CNN quoted a U.S. official who knew about the investigation as identifying the two who were killed as Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown.
The four had traveled to Mexico last week for McGee to have a medical procedure.
Mexican officials announced on Monday that the Americans were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen after crossing into Mexico.
They were all natives of Lake City, but McGee and Brown were living in Myrtle Beach.
A person identified as a 24-year-old tasked with watching the Americans was detained in connection to the two deaths, Tamaulipas state Gov. Américo Villarreal said.
The victims were found in a “wooden house” outside Matamoros, Mexico.
Zalandria Brown of Florence posted on Facebook Monday that her younger brother, Zindell Brown, was among the four Americans. The four were extremely close and planned to split up driving duties for the 24-hour trek, she told USA Today.
“Jesus my soul gone. Why my brother lord,” Zalandria Brown wrote and added a link to a story about the kidnappings.
She said she had talked to her brother for three hours, not knowing it would be the last time.
“GOD KNOWS I WISH U HADNT GONE YO MEXICO. YOU MY TWIN MY SON MY BEST FRIEND THE MALE VERSION OF ME MY SHADOW GOD MY SHADOW. Who am i suppose to politic w/ for hours everyday like we’ve been doing the last couple of months where does my laughter come from now when i need it,” she wrote.
The friends were aware of the dangers in Mexico, and her brother had expressed some misgivings about the trip, Brown told USA Today.
Brown also posted an amateur video on her Facebook page that other news outlets have reported as footage of the kidnapping. To view the video, click here. Warning, the video might be unsuitable for some viewers.
Lake City Mayor Yamekia Robinson offered condolences to the families during a press conference Tuesday afternoon. She referred all questions to the U.S. State Department.
During a Monday press briefing, Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary, confirmed President Joe Biden was aware of the situation and that U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar had been meeting with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
However, the administration doesn’t “have anything to preview or to lay out about the meeting,” Jean-Pierre said. “But we see Mexico as a close ally, an important partnership that we have in the region. And clearly, we want to continue it to grow.”
The FBI announced it is seeking the public’s aid in identifying the kidnappers and is offering a $50,000 reward for the return of the victims and arrest of the culprits.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call FBI San Antonio Division or submit a tip online.
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