4 US citizens were kidnapped by gunmen in Mexico in case of mistaken identity, US official says

Two South Carolina families have identified the four US citizens who were assaulted and kidnapped by gunmen in northeastern Mexico on Friday in what a US official with knowledge of the investigation tells CNN was a case of mistaken identity.

Family members told CNN that Latavia “Tay” Washington McGee went to Mexico for a medical procedure and was accompanied by Zindell Brown, Shaeed Woodard and a man they identified as Eric, according to McGee’s mother and Brown’s sister.

The Americans are believed to have been targeted by mistake and were not the intended victims, the official said. Investigators believe a Mexican cartel likely mistook them for Haitian drug smugglers, the official said, adding investigators have not identified any concerning criminal history on the part of the Americans.

The Americans had traveled to the border city of Matamoros for medical procedures, the official said, citing receipts found in the vehicle.

The incident highlights the ongoing violence in some Mexican cities, which have been wracked by organized crime at least since the Mexican Drug War began in 2006, as well as the growing business of what’s known as “medical tourism.”

The missing Americans drove into Matamoros on Friday in a white minivan with North Carolina plates, the FBI in San Antonio said. There, they were fired upon by unidentified gunmen and were “placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men,” the FBI said.