Three men and one woman were kidnapped on March 3rd while entering into the city of Matamoros within the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. The Americans were said to be traveling there for cosmetic surgery, authorities were told this by relatives. Specifically one called a tummy tuck, which was a procedure to remove stomach fat. The four were said to be driving a white minivan that’s license plate was from North Carolina. When an unidentified group of armed men shot at the Americans’ way of travel and showed to have firearms. Police were saying the Americans stopped the car, and once they did were somehow moved to a pickup truck driven by heavily armed men. 

A video was the police’s main source to go off of as it had shown when the Americans were being forced into the pickup truck. Although police haven’t fully been able to figure out if the four had been just ambushed or just caught in the middle of a serious misunderstanding. But from what authorities witnessed, three of the four people kidnapped were unconscious when they were all being loaded into a truck. The person that hadn’t been knocked clean out was reported to have been manhandled into the vehicle. Once the people were within the pickup truck, the information for where they had gone first is still a mystery but it is said the armed men drove the Americans to various different locations. Only to have a bystander find the victims of the kidnapping within a wooden shack outside Matamoros.  Within it were two dead bodies and the other two alive survivors. 

Mexico’s officials and president send remorse on behalf of this kidnapping. They deeply apologize for what had been done and temporarily advise people to stray away from Matamoros because of the kidnapping. Matamoros is already listed as one of the most dangerous cities within Mexico, yet the impact of the kidnapping has helped officials to try to stray Americans away from going there. Especially any trying to head through or to there for cosmetic surgery of any kind.