Two dead, two alive after Americans abducted in Mexico

 According to Mexican and US officials, two of the four Americans who were abducted in Mexico last week at gunpoint are dead, while the other two are still alive and have returned home.

On March 3, as they crossed the border from Texas into the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, four US citizens were abducted by armed men.

Relatives told US media that they had been there for cosmetic surgery.

A 24 year old Tamaulipas man identified José "N" has been detained.

The Friends and Families of Those Who Were Killed in These Attacks receive our sincere sympathies, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said.

In collaboration with the US consulate in Matamoros, the two remaining victims were brought to the US on Tuesday, according to a tweet from Irving Barrios Mojica, the attorney general of Tamaulipas.

They were carried back by a heavily armed military convoy from Mexico.

Afterwards, the FBI verified that two Americans had been discovered dead and the other two had been taken to US hospitals for treatment.

The FBI reported that "one of the surviving victims" had suffered major injuries in the assault.

The agency will collaborate with allies from around the world and other law enforcement organisations to "hold

According to a US law enforcement source who spoke to CBS, investigators believe the Gulf Cartel, one of the oldest organised crime organisations in Mexico, is to blame for the attack.

It is still unknown if the Americans were ambushed, mistaken for rival drug dealers, or harmed by stray bullets from rival forces.

Officials from the US State Department stated on Tuesday that the inquiry was still in its initial stages.

According to reports, Ms. McGee was on her way to the border town in Mexico to undergo a tummy tuck, a technique for removing abdominal fat.

She had been asked not to travel, but her mother Barbara Burgess told ABC News that her daughter had reassured her that she would be safe.For the safe return of the Americans, the FBI offered a reward of $50,000 (£42,000).

The US State Department recommends travellers not to travel to six Mexican states, including Tamaulipas, due of "crime and kidnapping." Matamoros is one of these states.

Medical travel is popular, especially among residents of US border states.

But because drug cartels have extensive control over the state of Tamaulipas and have the ability to exert greater influence than local law enforcement, Matamoros is one of the most dangerous cities in the nation.