周五在墨西哥被绑架的四名美国人的身份已经确定，联邦调查局、联邦合作伙伴和地方当局正在继续调查。
周五，美国大使馆表示，美国公民乘坐一辆带有北卡罗来纳州牌照的白色小型货车，进入德克萨斯州布朗斯维尔以南的塔毛利帕斯州东北部的马塔莫罗斯墨西哥城市说说星期天。
“在进入墨西哥后不久，身份不明的枪手向车上的乘客开枪。据大使馆称，持枪歹徒将四名美国公民赶进另一辆汽车，并带着他们逃离了现场。
这四名美国人已被确定为拉塔维娅“泰”麦基、谢德·伍德尔、津德尔·布朗和埃里克·詹姆斯·威廉姆斯。据她的母亲称，McGee和她的表妹Woodard以及他们的朋友Brown和Williams都是Matamoros的受害者。
据接近墨西哥调查的消息人士称，在现场还发现了威廉姆斯的北卡罗莱纳州驾照。
麦吉的母亲，54岁的芭芭拉·伯吉斯告诉ABC新闻，她的女儿从南卡罗来纳州到墨西哥进行整容手术，在旅行之前，她警告她不要去。
“马，我会没事的，”吉斯麦吉在星期三出发前回答道。
星期五，也就是预约的那天，伯吉斯说麦基打电话来说她离医生的办公室还有15分钟的路程。她说，那天晚些时候，伯吉斯给麦基打了电话，但没有回音。
“她的电话刚开始转到语音信箱，”她说。
一名联邦调查局特工周五早上拜访了伯吉斯，问她是否认识这名司机，这名司机已被确认为威廉姆斯。
她向联邦调查局证实，威廉姆斯就是和她女儿和侄子一起去墨西哥的人。
2023年3月6日，墨西哥马塔莫罗斯，墨西哥军队士兵准备搜寻被枪手绑架的四名美国公民。
特约记者/美联社
据墨西哥总统安德烈斯·曼努埃尔·洛佩斯·奥夫拉多尔(Andrés Manuel López Obrador)称，这些美国公民是在陷入群体对抗后被带走的，他在周一的每日新闻发布会上表示，他们“越过边境到墨西哥购买药品”
“整个‘墨西哥政府’都在为此努力，”洛佩斯·奥夫拉多尔说。
白宫新闻秘书郭佳欣·让-皮埃尔星期一说，拜登总统“知道并已被告知”这四名失踪的美国公民。
据白宫称，美国国务院、国土安全部和墨西哥当局正在就此案展开合作。
“我们正在密切关注四名美国公民在墨西哥马塔莫罗斯遭到袭击和绑架的事件。这种攻击是不可接受的，”让-皮埃尔说。“我们的心与这些人的家人在一起，我们随时准备提供一切适当的领事协助。”
“我们将继续与墨西哥协调，推动他们将责任人绳之以法，”她补充说。
美国国务院发言人内德·普莱斯(Ned Price)在镜头前的新闻发布会上不能透露更多情况，但周一表示，国务院正在“密切关注”此案。
“联邦调查局正在与其他联邦伙伴和墨西哥执法机构密切合作，调查此事，”他说。“我们随时准备提供一切适当的领事协助。我们也提醒美国人关于墨西哥这个特殊地区的现有旅游指南。”
美国驻墨西哥大使肯·萨拉查在周一的一份声明中表示，美国执法官员正在与墨西哥各级政府合作，“确保四名被绑架的美国人安全返回”。
萨拉扎说:“我们没有比我们公民的安全更重要的事情，这是美国政府最根本的职责。”。
大使馆称，美国联邦调查局(FBI)现在正在寻求公众的帮助，以确定谁可能对此负责，并提供5万美元的奖励。
任何有消息的人都可以拨打210-225-6741联系美国联邦调查局圣安东尼奥分部。
4 US citizens kidnapped in Mexico identified
The four Americans kidnapped in Mexico on Friday have been identified, as the FBI, federal partners and local authorities continue to investigate.
The American citizens crossed into Matamoros, in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas just south of Brownsville, Texas, in a white minivan with North Carolina plates on Friday, the U.S. Embassy inMexicoCity saidsaidSunday.
"Shortly after crossing into Mexico, unidentified gunmen shot the passengers of the vehicle. The gunmen herded the four U.S. citizens into another vehicle and fled the scene with them," according to the embassy.
The four Americans have been identified as Latavia "Tay" McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown and Eric James Williams. According to her mother, McGee and her cousin Woodard were among the victims in Matamoros along with their friends Brown and Williams.
A North Carolina driver's license belonging to Williams was also found at the scene, according to sources close to the Mexican investigation.
Barbara Burgess, 54, McGee's mother, told ABC News that her daughter traveled from South Carolina to Mexico for a cosmetic medical procedure and that before the trip, she warned her not to go.
"Ma, I'll be okay," Burgess said McGee replied on Wednesday before setting off.
On Friday, the day of the appointment, Burgess said McGee called to say she was 15 minutes away from the doctor's office. Burgess called McGee later that day but never heard back, she said.
"Her phone just started going to voicemail," she said.
An FBI agent visited Burgess on Friday morning to ask her if she recognized the driver, who has been identified as Williams.
She confirmed with the FBI agent that Williams was the person her daughter and nephew had been traveling with to Mexico.
The U.S. citizens were taken after getting caught in the middle of a confrontation between groups, according to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who said during his daily press conference on Monday that they "crossed the border to buy medicines in Mexico."
"The entire" Mexican government "is there working on this," López Obrador said.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that President Joe Biden is "aware and has been informed" of the four missing U.S. citizens.
The State Department, Department of Homeland Security and Mexican authorities are working together on the case, according to the White House.
"We are closely following the assault and kidnapping of four U.S. citizens in Matamoros, Mexico. These sorts of attacks are unacceptable," Jean-Pierre said. "Our thoughts are with the families of these individuals, and we stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance."
"We will continue to coordinate with Mexico and push them to bring those responsible to justice," she added.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price could share little more about the situation during an on-camera press briefing, but said Monday that the department is "closely following" the case.
"The FBI is working very closely with other federal partners and Mexican law enforcement agencies to investigate this," he said. "We're standing ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance. We do also remind Americans about the existing travel guidance when it comes to this particular part of Mexico."
In a statement on Monday, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said that various U.S. law enforcement officials are working with Mexican authorities at every level of government "to secure the safe return" of the four kidnapped Americans.
"We have no greater priority than the safety of our citizens -- this is the U.S. government's most fundamental role," Salazar said.
The FBI is now asking for the public's help in identifying who might be responsible and is offering a $50,000 reward, the embassy said.
Anyone with information can contact the FBI's San Antonio Division at 210-225-6741.
