Reports from the Mexican border city of Matamoros said a splinter group of the Gulf cartel, known as the Scorpions group, kidnapped four American citizens last week, killing two of them. Apologized, and handed over to those responsible.
Several Mexican newspapers published a photo on their front pages showing five men lying face down on the ground, their hands tied, and their T-shirts pulled up over their heads. It was apparently taken after police arrived at the scene.
A letter from the Scorpions group was reportedly left with the men apologizing to the people of Matamoros, the American victims and their families, and last week a Mexican woman was killed when the gang stole a white minivan. There was firing at the van in which the Americans were traveling.
The Associated Press says it has obtained a copy of the letter from a law enforcement official in the state of Tamaulipas.
“We have decided to return those who were directly involved and responsible for the incidents”, the letter said, adding that the five “acted under their own lack of decision-making and discipline”. The letter also accused the men of breaking the cartel’s rules regarding the “protection of innocent lives”.
Meanwhile, a health clinic in Matamoros where cartel members allegedly took injured American citizens for treatment has been surrounded by police. Reports indicate that four Americans were taken there by the gang but the two with the worst injuries – Shayd Woodard and Zindell Brown – died soon after.
JEE News reported that Mexican authorities handed over the bodies of the two victims to U.S. authorities in Matamoros on Thursday afternoon and their remains were repatriated.
The latest developments come as some skepticism has been cast over the initial version of events in Mexico. The group is said to have traveled to Matamoros for one of them, Latavia McGee, to undergo a cosmetic medical procedure at a clinic in the city. It is said that three of his friends accompanied him in the meeting.
However, JEE News reported that three of the four Americans were convicted of minor drug-related offenses — but one was charged with manufacturing with intent to distribute a prohibited drug.
JEE News says it has seen an internal law enforcement document that shows Mexican authorities are investigating the possibility that four Americans are being held by members of a rival cartel for trespassing on their land. was kidnapped from
