2 Americans Killed After Group Of 4 Traveling To Mexico Are Kidnapped, Allegedly Mistaken For Drug Smugglers

The dramatic kidnapping of four Americans in Mexico, which was caught on camera, came to a tragic end on Tuesday. Two of the four U.S. citizens were found dead and the surviving friends have returned to the states, RadarOnline.com has learned.

The murders of the two Americans marked the latest in a string of U.S. citizens killed after traveling to the neighboring country.

According to CNN, Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown were identified as the two victims.

Family members shared that the deceased were accompanying their friends Latavia “Tay” McGee and Eric James Williams on a trip to Mexico for a medical procedure, an increasingly common practice for U.S. travelers amid rising healthcare costs and legislative restrictions.

McGee, a mother of six, crossed the border with her friends to undergo a tummy tuck procedure. It was the second time she had traveled to the country for medical care.

The group was traveling in Matamoras on Friday when they got lost — and tragically drove into danger.

Upon realizing they were lost, the travelers allegedly called the doctor's office, but no one answered.

The white van that the friends were driving in was shot at by Mexican cartel members, who had allegedly mistaken them for Haitian drug smugglers. The group was then "placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men."

The dramatic incident was caught on camera and a search was immediately launched to locate the victims.

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"During the three days after the criminal act, the four people were transferred to various places, including a clinic in order to create confusion and avoid rescue efforts," Tamaulipas Gov. Américo Villarreal said of rescue efforts.

The victims were found in a "wooden house" outside of Matamoros. At least one individual was taken into custody at the scene.

The unidentified 24-year-old man was said to have been tasked with "surveillance functions of the victims."

McGee and Williams survived the attack; however, the police revealed that at least one of the survivors was shot in the leg but did not identify whether it was McGee or Williams.

The Americans were transferred to Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville, Texas, to be treated for their injuries. US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price issued a statement on the travelers' brutal attack.

"We want to see accountability for the violence that has been inflicted on these Americans that tragically led to the death of two of them," Price said without divulging too many details of the ongoing investigation.

Price addressed an emerging call from GOP lawmakers to designate drug cartels as terrorist organizations.

"When it comes to the drug cartels, we're going to do what is most effective to limit their ability to traffic in their wares," Price continued. "This is something that our colleagues at the DEA are extremely focused on."