MEXICO CITY — Five men, lying face down with their hands tied, were found by the Mexican authorities on Thursday along with a letter purportedly written by a powerful criminal cartel, blaming the men for a recent attack on four Americans, according to two people familiar with the investigation.
The note apologized for the assault, which left two Americans and one Mexican dead, and claimed that the cartel was offering up the men who had carried it out, according to photos reviewed by The Times. The people who described the discovery were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
“We have decided to hand over those involved and directly responsible for the events, who at all times acted of their own volition,” the letter said. The five men were found, alive, along with the note, in Matamoros, the border city on the Rio Grande where the Americans were attacked.
It was not clear whether the message was accurate or actually written by the cartel. The Mexican authorities will question the five men, officials said, to try to determine whether they actually participated in the abduction and killings.
In Mexico, messages have often appeared near bodies left in public places claiming to be from cartels taking responsibility for crimes, and issuing warnings to rivals, law enforcement or the general public. But the notes aren’t always to be trusted.
A Lethal Attack in Mexico
Four Americans were kidnapped, and two killed, in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, after crossing the border from Texas.
- What Happened: The four Americans crossed the border on March 3 so that one of them could get a tummy tuck, but within hours, they were abducted by gunmen. The surviving two were rescued days later.
- Medical Tourism Industry: The kidnapping drew attention to how millions of Americans travel to Mexico and other countries for cost-efficient care. Here’s what experts say about the practice’s risks and promises.
- Double Standard: The speed of the Americans’ rescue elicited anger among many Mexicans, who were shocked to see their leaders spring into action after years of doing little to address the relentless violence across the country.
Sometimes one criminal group is trying to blame horrific violence on its rivals, and sometimes the messages portray innocent victims as cartel members, security experts said.
“There are certainly questions around the veracity of these messages,” said Cecilia Farfán Méndez, a Mexico security researcher at the University of California, San Diego.
But if it is real, it would be a remarkable twist in a crime that has become a major international episode, prompting calls by Republican lawmakers to allow the United States to use military force to combat Mexican cartels.
The four Americans, Latavia Washington McGee, 33; Shaeed Woodard, 33; Zindell Brown, 28; and Eric James Williams, 38, were abducted last Friday after armed men shot at their car at an intersection in Matamoros, in Tamaulipas state.
They had gone to Mexico to accompany Ms. McGee, who was scheduled for cosmetic surgery that day, family members said.
On Tuesday, four days after the attack, the Americans were found by Mexican authorities. Ms. McGee and Mr. Williams were alive, and were sent back to the United States that same day. Mr. Woodard and Mr. Brown were dead; their bodies were returned to U.S. authorities on Thursday, the state prosecutor Irving Barrios said on Twitter.
Criminal groups in Mexico do not usually target Americans, a move they see as extremely risky given the outsize media and law enforcement attention it elicits.
Investigators have been considering various explanations for the crime, including a theory that it may have been a case of mistaken identity.
The letter found on Thursday claims to be written by the Scorpions faction of the powerful Gulf Cartel that controls Tamaulipas. It attributed the attack to “indiscipline” by people who acted “against the rules” with which the Gulf cartel “has always operated.”
“The Gulf Cartel Scorpion Group strongly condemns the events of Friday, March 3 in which unfortunately an innocent working mother died and 4 American citizens were kidnapped, of which 2 died,” the letter said.
Local Mexican media have identified the Mexican woman who was killed as Areli Pablo Servando, a 33-year-old who worked in a business that offers photocopying services.
The city of Matamoros sits across the border from Brownsville, Texas, and is rife with cartel violence. Locals complain that they often go to sleep with the sounds of gunshots ringing in the air. The Gulf Cartel has been able to infiltrate nearly all aspects of life in the area, employing young locals into its ranks and serving as an important, albeit vicious, employer.
Oscar Lopez contributed reporting from Mexico City.
