(NewsNation) — Four Americans who were kidnapped in Mexico over the weekend were natives of South Carolina’s Lake City, the mayor has confirmed.
Lake City Mayor Yamekia Robinson, in a news conference Tuesday, offered condolences to the family of the two people who were killed after they were caught in the crossfire of rival cartel groups in Matamoros, Mexico.
“It’s been a very tough few days,” Robinson said Tuesday during an appearance on “NewsNation: Rush Hour.” “We have been trying to keep the family, the community close with prayer.”
The other two Americans who survived the kidnapping are back in the United States receiving medical care, the Justice Department said Tuesday.
The FBI had reported Sunday it was searching with Mexican authorities for the missing Americans, who had been kidnapped Friday. A relative of one of them said Monday they had traveled together from South Carolina so one of them could get a tummy tuck from a Matamoros doctor.
Tamaulipas Gov. Américo Villarreal said the bodies of the two deceased will be turned over to U.S. authorities after forensic evidence is collected at the Matamoros morgue. He added that the wounded American, Eric Williams, had been shot in the left leg, and the wound was not life threatening.
“Our community is very closely knitted, so when one hurts we all hurt,” Robinson said. “I want the families to know that we are with them through this.”
You can watch Robinson’s interview in the player above.
NewsNation writer Stephanie Whiteside contributed to this report.