The four
U.S. citizens—Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown, Eric Williams, and Latavia "Tay" McGee—were all
African American residents of the
state of
South Carolina. On the morning of 3 March 2023, they crossed
the border for McGee to undergo a cosmetic surgical procedure. Shortly after, their minivan was intercepted by a group of gunmen in central Matamoros and the four were bundled onto the bed of a
pickup truck. A Mexican bystander, Arely Pablo Servando, was killed when she was struck by a stray bullet during the abduction. According to Tamaulipas Governor
Américo Villarreal, the cartel moved the kidnapped victims around in an effort to create confusion and avoid efforts to rescue them, and took them to a
medical clinic at some point. On 7 March 2023, the missing Americans were located by security forces in El Tecolote, an
ejido southeast of where they had been abducted in Matamoros. Woodard and Brown were dead. Williams had three gunshot wounds to his leg and McGee had no physical injuries; the two were taken to the border shortly after their discovery and hospitalized in
Texas. A 24-year-old male from
Valle Hermoso, Tamaulipas, allegedly found guarding them, was taken into custody and
charged with aggravated kidnapping. An accompanying message, purportedly from the
Grupo Escorpión faction of the
Gulf Cartel, identified them as the perpetrators and extended an apology to the families of the victims on both sides of the border and to the people of Matamoros in general. The five were later charged by the state prosecution service with aggravated kidnapping and homicide. ==Aftermath==