Bodies of Americans found dead after Mexico kidnapping taken for autopsy

Matamoros, Mexico, Mar 7 (EFE).- The bodies of two Americans found dead after a violent kidnapping in the Mexican city of Matamoros were taken to a forensics facility in the city on Tuesday afternoon for autopsy.

The possible causes of death of the two US citizens have not yet been determined.

The pair were part of a group of four Americans who were reported missing on Friday after crossing the border from Brownsville, Texas, into Matamoros, Tamaulipas, where the white minivan in which they were traveling came under fire from unidentified gunmen, the FBI said in a statement.

In a video posted to social media purportedly showing the aftermath of the shooting, armed men could be seen lifting the victims – including at least one apparently unconscious – into the back of a white pick-up truck and driving away.

A female Mexican bystander also was fatally shot at the scene of the kidnapping.

Earlier Tuesday, the authorities announced they had found two survivors and two bodies in a wooden house in Tecolote village on the outskirts of Matamoros.

A man identified as Jose Guadalupe “N,” a 23-year-old who was guarding the house, was arrested.

Mexican federal and state forces had deployed a large contingent to locate and free the kidnapping victims under pressure from the US government.

Military and members of the Investigative Police, as well as the State Guard, on Tuesday morning transferred a woman and a man, who have not been officially identified, to the facilities of the local delegation of the Tamaulipas State Attorney General’s Office in a Red Cross ambulance.

Upon arrival at the site, where representatives of the US Consulate General in Matamoros were waiting for them, they were repatriated via the Ignacio Zaragoza international bridge, which connects to Brownsville.

Nestled in a field, the wooden house was guarded by military personnel and state officers while forensics carried out investigations.

In the afternoon, the two deceased Americans, who have also not been officially identified, were taken to the city’s Forensic Medical Service, which was under heavy security.

A white blood-stained GMC Sierra pick-up truck believed to have been involved in the kidnapping was also seized.

The bodies of the Americans, who were reportedly in Mexico because one member of their group was planning to undergo a medical cosmetic procedure, will be subjected to the legal autopsy to then begin the process of repatriation to the US.

Mexican authorities said Tuesday that the assault and kidnapping was likely a case of mistaken identity.

Tamaulipas, which sits on the Gulf of Mexico and borders the US state of Texas, has a high rate of violence and cartel activity. EFE

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