The two Americans who survived a violent kidnapping ordeal in Mexico are back in the U.S., as questions remain surrounding what happened to the two members of the group who died.
Here’s everything we know:
The kidnapping
The four Americans — Eric James Williams, Zindell Brown and cousins Latavia “Tay” McGee and Shaeed Woodard — drove Friday morning into Matamoros, Mexico, which is in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas just south of Brownsville, Texas.
“Shortly after crossing into Mexico, unidentified gunmen fired upon the passengers in the vehicle,” and then put the four Americans in another car and fled, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City said.
A member of the Mexican security forces stands next to a white minivan with North Carolina plates and several bullet holes, at the crime scene where gunmen kidnapped four U.S. citizens who crossed into Mexico from Texas, March 3, 2023.
Stringer/AP
Irving Barrios, the attorney general of Tamaulipas, said the Americans were not directly targeted and it appears “it was a misunderstanding.”
Mexican investigators think the kidnappers may have wrongly believed the Americans were rival human traffickers, a source close to the investigation told ABC News.
Mexican authorities search for evidence as they work to locate four Americans who were shot by gunmen and then kidnapped shortly after crossing the border with Brownsville, Texas, in Matamoros, Mexico, March 6, 2023.
Stringer/Reuters
The rescue
Williams and McGee survived the kidnapping. They were found Tuesday morning in a wooden house in the Lagunona area, outside of Matamoros, Mexican officials said.
One of the deceased was also found inside the house, and the second was found outside the house, a source close to the investigation told ABC News.
A still from video of the scene where four Americans who were kidnapped were found by Mexican authorities on March 7, 2023. They were found in a wooden shed and camper in the Lagunona area right outside of the town of Matamoros, Mexico.
Milenio
The two Americans found dead had blankets or sheets on top of them, a source close to the investigation told ABC News. One of the dead was wearing a surgical robe when he was found, the source said.
One person has been arrested. The 24-year-old suspect was in charge of looking after the victims inside the house where they were found, Mexican officials said.
State police officers keep watch at the scene where authorities found the bodies of two of four Americans kidnapped by gunmen, in Matamoros, Mexico, March 7, 2023.
Daniel Becerril/Reuters
During the days they were held, the Americans were transferred to various places, including a clinic, in order to create confusion and avoid rescue efforts, said the governor of Tamaulipas, Américo Villarreal.
The survivors and the victims
McGee is a mother of five who traveled from South Carolina to Mexico for a cosmetic medical procedure, according to her family.
Her mother, Barbara Burgess, told ABC News she spoke to her daughter on Tuesday. She said McGee had no major injuries.
Latavia “Tay” McGee is seen here in an undated file photo.
Tay McGee
Michele Williams, wife of survivor Eric Williams, said the FBI told her that her husband had been shot twice in one leg and once in the other.
He has undergone surgery in a Texas hospital, she said.
Eric James Williams is seen in an undated file photo.
Courtesy Michele Williams
Brown, who was among the two killed, was on the trip to Mexico to support his friend, McGee, for her surgery, according to Brown’s sister, Zalayna Brown Grant.
“Zindell was a loving son, brother, uncle and friend,” Grant wrote on a GoFundMe page. “Our family waited for any news about my brother’s return, but he won’t be coming home alive.”
The investigation
The FBI said it’s working with “federal and international partners to determine the facts of what happened and to hold those responsible for this horrific and violent attack accountable for their crimes.”
The FBI and State Department are working to bring the bodies of the two victims back to the U.S., the FBI added.
Shaeed Woodard is seen here in an undated file photo.
Courtesy Laquonda Green
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Tuesday, “Attacks on U.S. citizens are unacceptable, no matter where, under what circumstances they occur. We’re going to work closely with the Mexican government to ensure that justice is done in this case.”
President Joe Biden has “been kept updated” on the situation, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.
The FBI urges anyone with information to call its San Antonio office at 210-225-6741 or submit information on its website.
ABC News’ Miles Cohen, Ellie Kaufman, Matt Rivers, Anne Laurent, Shannon Crawford, Dan Carranza and Luke Barr contributed to this report.