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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Robert Dex

Two Americans kidnapped in Mexico during ‘tummy tuck’ trip found dead

Two US citizens missing since they were kidnapped after travelling to Mexico have been found dead.

They were part of a group that travelled from South Carolina to the northern Mexican border city of Matamoros .

The local state governor said two other members of the party were alive.

Americo Villarreal said one of the survivors was hurt but the other was unharmed.

No other details about how the Americans were found were immediately released.

On Sunday, the FBI said it was searching with Mexican authorities for the missing Americas, who were abducted on Friday.

They had travelled together from South Carolina so one of them could get a tummy tuck from a Matamoros doctor, a relative said on Monday.

Shortly after entering Mexico, they were caught in the crossfire of rival cartels, with a video showing them being loaded into the back of a pickup truck by gunmen.

A woman is dragged to the back of a white pickup truck in this still image obtained from social media video that allegedly shows the kidnapping of Americans in Matamoros, Mexico (via REUTERS)

A Mexican woman was killed in the crossfire, officials said.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said one suspect was in custody and complained about the US media’s coverage of the missing Americans, accusing them of sensationalism.

“It’s not like that when they kill Mexicans in the United States, they go quiet like mummies,” he said.“It’s very unfortunate. They (the US government) has the right to protest like they have,” he said.“We really regret that this happens in our country.”

The city of Matamoros is dominated by factions of the powerful Gulf drug cartel who often fight among themselves.

Amid the violence, thousands of Mexicans have disappeared in Tamaulipas state alone.

The FBI had offered a 50,000 US dollar (£42,163) reward for the victims’ return and the arrest of the kidnappers.

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