Americans found quickly, but Mexico’s missing remain lost

By MARK STEVENSON
Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — When four Americans were kidnapped in the border city of Matamoros, authorities rescued the survivors after three days. But thousands of Mexicans remain missing in a border state long associated with cartel violence. Authorities in Tamaulipas state quickly blamed the local Gulf cartel for shooting up the Americans’ minivan after they went to Matamoros for a cosmetic surgery procedure. As with the slayings of nine U.S.-Mexican dual citizens farther west along the border in 2019, the culprits may be caught because of the case’s high profile. After the Friday attack, authorities found the Americans within three days. By contrast, more than 100,000 Mexicans remain missing, in many cases years or decades after they disappeared. About a tenth of the missing are in Tamaulipas.