9News
Two of the four Americans kidnapped by armed gunmen in a Mexico border city on Friday were found dead and two were found alive, Mexican officials have said.
In a phone call with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador that was played at a news conference on Tuesday, Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villarreal Anaya said "ambulances and security personnel" were now attending to and giving medical support to the survivors.
The four Americans were found at what appears to be a medical clinic in Matamoros, a US official familiar with the ongoing investigation told CNN. One of the two survivors is severely injured, the official said.
amaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios also confirmed the developments in a tweet.
"Derived from the joint search actions, the four American citizens deprived of their liberty last Friday were found," he said. "Unfortunately, two dead. Investigation and intelligence work continue to capture those responsible. Details will be given later."
The bodies of the two citizens will be examined by Mexican authorities prior to being turned over to the US government, a source familiar with the investigation told CNN. After a coroner in Mexico completes their forensic examination to determine the cause of death, the remains are expected to be repatriated back to the US, the source said.
The news comes days after the group was abducted at gunpoint in Matamoros in what is believed to be a case of mistaken identity.
The four Americans were a tight-knit group of friends travelling from South Carolina to Mexico so one of them - a mother of six - could undergo a medical procedure across the border, two family members told CNN. Once across the border, they were fired upon by unidentified gunmen, "placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men," according to the FBI.
Investigators believe the Americans were targeted by a Mexican cartel that likely mistook them for Haitian drug smugglers, a US official familiar with the ongoing investigation tells CNN.
The US citizens have no concerning criminal history that has been identified by investigators, the official said.
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