Zindell Brown’s family asked people to share any relevant information with local authorities.
Cartel violence has increased over the past 10 to 15 years in Tamaulipas, and violence within the state has left thousands of victims uncounted because the cartels have a history of taking bodies of their own with them.
The Gulf Cartel is currently based in Matamoros which directly borders Brownsville, where U.S. citizens frequently cross to travel deeper into Mexico, visit family, attend medical appointments, or shop.
Although Matamoros was once a popular vacation spot and a relatively calm area, the State Department has warned U.S. citizens not to travel to the city due to ongoing violence.
In 2014, three American siblings disappeared near Matamoros while visiting their father and were later found shot to death and burned. Their parents said they had been abducted by men dressed in police gear identifying themselves as “Hercules,” a tactical security unit in the city.