Possible confusion, the main line of investigation on the US citizens kidnapped in Matamoros

The Tamaulipas Attorney General ruled out that the case of the kidnapped US citizens was a direct attack (Photo: Screenshot)

As part of the investigations that have been carried out for the kidnapping of four United States citizens in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, it was announced that one of the main lines of investigation on the case is a possible confusion.

It may interest you: The US government demanded justice after the kidnapping and murder of its compatriots in Matamoros, Tamaulipas

This was reported by the Attorney General of Tamaulipas, Irving Barrios Mojica, at a press conference in which federal and state authorities participated. According to the data collected so far, it is presumed that Latavia McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown and Erick James Williams would have been confused with alleged members of organized crime.

In this sense, Barrios Mojica ruled out that it was a direct aggression against Afro-American people. However, he emphasized that there are other lines of research that have yet to be considered.

It may interest you: Two US citizens who were kidnapped in Matamoros were handed over on a border bridge

“There are different lines of research. The origins for which the facts could have occurred have been widely commented. However, all this information sharing has strengthened the line that it was a mix-up, not a direct attack. That is the most viable and surely the most correct”, explained the Tamaulipas prosecutor.

US citizens traveled to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, for an aesthetic intervention (Photo: Twitter/@GildoGarzaMx]

In this sense, Barrios Mojica pointed out that none of the victims belonged to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), as had been reported in local media. He confirmed that the reason for his trip to Mexican territory was for an aesthetic intervention that Latavia McGee would undergo, which was unharmed after the events recorded on Friday, March 3.

It may interest you: Two of the four US citizens kidnapped in Matamoros were found dead

Like James Williams, they were the only two people to survive. This man was found with a bullet wound to his left leg. On the morning of this Tuesday, both were handed over to the United States Government at international bridge number 2, to later be transferred to a hospital in Brownsville, Texas.

Meanwhile, Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown were the US citizens who lost their lives. The delivery of their bodies will be carried out under the repatriation protocols. So far, the cause of their deaths has not been released.

In these events, the arrest of a subject identified as José “N”, 24 years old, was also achieved. According to the reports, this individual is originally from Valle Hermoso, Tamaulipas, and was in charge of watching over the victims in a wooden house located in the El Tecolote ejido, in an area known as La Lagunona.

The victims were dragged along the asphalt and later put in a white van

Although the authorities did not confirm if José “N” was a member of a specific criminal group and there is still no approximate number of people who would have participated in the events, the Secretary of Citizen Security, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, acknowledged that in Matamoros a strong presence of the Gulf Cartel has been detected. However, it will be as the investigations progress as their possible involvement in the facts is determined.

It has been unofficially indicated that presumed members of the “Escorpion Group” – one of the armed wings of the Gulf Cartel – would be behind the kidnapping of the four US civilians. Among the criminal activities of this criminal group is extortion and kidnapping.

Faced with this situation, the United States Attorney General, Merrick Garland, announced that his office is working together with the Mexican authorities to investigate the death of the two Americans. “Our officials work closely with those of the State Department,” he said at a press conference.

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