[2] The four U.S. citizens—Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown, Eric Williams, and Latavia "Tay" McGee—were all African American residents of the state of South Carolina.
[8] On 7 March 2023, the missing Americans were located by security forces in El Tecolote, an ejido 10 km (6.2 mi) southeast of where they had been abducted in Matamoros.
[13] In the early morning of 9 March, five men with their hands tied were found abandoned at the site of the original abduction in downtown Matamoros.
[14][13] An accompanying message, purportedly from the Grupo Escorpión faction of the Gulf Cartel, identified them as the perpetrators and extended an apology to the families of the victims on both sides of the border and to the people of Matamoros in general.
[18] Some opposition politicians and human rights activists expressed indignation at the speed with which the missing Americans were located, in contrast to the many thousands of other victims of forced disappearances in the country whose cases remain unsolved.