Two South Carolina residents who survived a harrowing kidnapping south of the border that left two of their friends dead revealed details of the “nightmare” this week with a statement released through their attorneys.
Eric Williams and Latavia “Tay” Washington McGee are still recovering from “physical and psychological injuries” suffered during a four-day ordeal, their lawyers Harry Daniels and Jason Keith said in a statement Tuesday.
Their assailants with Mexico’s Gulf drug cartel killed friends Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown after the group crossed into the country from Brownsville, Texas, according to authorities.
Mexican forces rescued the survivors from a shed where they were being held captive on March 7.
Mexican soldiers prepare a search mission for four U.S. citizens kidnapped by gunmen in Matamoros, Mexico, March 6, 2023. (AP Photo)
“Over the past few weeks, Eric and Latavia have been through a nightmare the likes of which most of us can hardly believe,” the lawyers said Tuesday. “Now as they continue to recover from their physical and psychological injuries, we wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for the unbelievable outpouring of concern and support.”
“Every thought and prayer has been felt, and they matter more than you can imagine,” the statement continued.
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Warning Graphic Content: Armed men seen dragging Americans into truck in Mexico
The group had purportedly traveled from South Carolina into Matamoros in order for McGee to get a “tummy tuck” surgery.
After they crossed the border, they were attacked by cartel members.
McGee’s mother, Barbara Burgess, told News 4 San Antonio that the victim witnessed the thugs execute her brother in front of her.
Americans Latavia “Tay” McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Eric Williams and Zindell Brown were kidnapped at gunpoint in early March 2023 after crossing into the Mexican city of Matamoros from Brownsville, Texas. (Harry Daniels)
“She was crying because her brother got killed, and she watched him die,” she told the station. “She watched two of them die. They died in front of her.”
A third person, a Mexican citizen, was also killed, according to authorities.
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Friends of Zindell Brown mourn his loss at a prayer vigil at Word of God Outreach Ministries in Scranton, South Carolina, on March 8, 2023. (Mark Darrough for Fox News Digital)
Federal prosecutors on Friday filed charges against a Texas man for allegedly straw purchasing one of the guns used in the attack on behalf of the cartel.
Roberto Lugardo Moreno is accused of knowingly buying a Diamondback Arms DB-15 weapon that Homeland Security Investigations alleges Mexican authorities recovered during their investigation into the kidnapping.
US ISSUES ‘DO NOT TRAVEL’ WARNING FOR PARTS OF MEXICO AS SPRING BREAK APPROACHES
The storage shed where authorities found the bodies of two of four Americans kidnapped by gunmen, in Matamoros, Mexico, March 7, 2023. (Reuters/Daniel Becerril)
Moreno allegedly admitted to the purchase and to providing additional firearms to the cartel, according to court documents.
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Tamaulipas, the Mexican state where Matamoros is located, is one of six Mexican states that carries a travel warning from the U.S. State Department against visiting the region due to the elevated risks of violence targeting Americans.
Fox News’ Peter Aitken contributed to this report.
