Two of four Americans abducted in Mexico found dead

Two of four Americans abducted by an armed group in Mexico last Friday were found dead on Tuesday.

“As a result of joint operational-search activities, four American citizens were found who were imprisoned last Friday,” a police source in the Mexican city of Tamaulipas said on Twitter. “Unfortunately, two people died. Investigations are ongoing to identify the perpetrators. Details will be announced later.”

Four Americans were traveling from South Carolina to the US so one of them, a mother of six, could have a medical procedure across the border, two family members told CNN International.

Latavia “Tay” Washington McGee, 33, traveled to Mexico with Shaid Woodard, Zindell Brown and Eric for surgery but never made it to her doctor’s appointment last Friday, her mother told CNN.

This Sunday, the FBI told the woman that her daughter had been kidnapped and was in danger. On Friday, a group of friends drove into the border town of Matamoros, where they were attacked by unidentified gunmen and “put in a car,” the official said. Investigators believe the group was targeted by a Mexican cartel that likely mistook them for Haitian drug smugglers, a US official familiar with the investigation told CNN. US citizens do not have a criminal record identified by investigators.