The two Americans who killed in Matamoros, Mexico after being kidnapped at gunpoint during a cartel gang shootout have been identified as Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown.
CNN was the first to confirm the news.
The two surviving Americans are Latavia “Tay” McGee and Eric James. They have returned to the United States and are being treated in a Texas hospital.
Williams was shot in the leg while McGee is unharmed.
As previously reported, the four American citizens were assaulted, shot at, and kidnapped after crossing the border into Matamoros, Mexico on Friday.
Unidentified gunmen fired upon the passengers in the vehicle. All four Americans were placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men, according to the FBI.
A relative of one of the Americans said Monday that they had traveled together from South Carolina so one of them could get a tummy tuck from doctor in Matamoros. McGee was later identified as the individual in question.
US law enforcement played no role in searching for the missing Americans on the ground in Mexico according to Américo Villarreal, the governor of Tamaulipas.
Villareal said the two dead Americans will be turned over to American authorities following forensic work at the Matamoros morgue in the coming hours.
CNN reported:
The two Americans who authorities say were kidnapped in Mexico and found dead have been identified as Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown, a US official familiar with the ongoing investigation tells CNN.
The two survivors have been identified as Latavia Washington McGee and Eric Williams, according to the source. The pair was taken to a Texas hospital for treatment and observation.
The Americans’ families have been notified, the official indicated.
The Mexican government said at a press conference that Washington McGee was found uninjured and Williams suffered a bullet wound to the leg.
United States law enforcement was not involved on the ground in Mexico during the search for missing Americans, the governor of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, Américo Villarreal, said. Tamaulipas is where the kidnapping took place.
Mexican officials displayed a timeline of the search for the Americans, including photos of the cars believed to be used by the kidnappers, before they were found Tuesday morning.
Mexico’s Secretary of Security Rosa Icela Rodríguez said authorities in Mexico have been in constant communication with the US ambassador and other US officials since Sunday.