Amber alert as two US siblings, 9 and 16, missing in Mexico just weeks after Americans kidnapped and murdered
TWO American siblings have reportedly gone missing in Mexico – just weeks after four US citizens were kidnapped.
Hugo Yarset Monfort Luna, nine, and his sister Aranza Yosemiti Monfort Luna, 16, were last seen in the state of Nuevo León on Friday.
Authorities have issued an amber alert, and a search probe is underway as it’s feared that the children could be in “imminent danger.”
It’s not yet known if the children were visiting Mexico or if they live in the country.
Aranza was last seen wearing a pink shirt, black pants, a grey sweater, and blue sneakers.
She had a black sweater wrapped around her waist and was carrying a brown handbag.
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Meanwhile, Hugo is three foot six inches tall and has dark, straight brown hair and dark eyes.
A US State Department spokesperson said: “We are [aware] of reports of two American citizens missing in Nuevo Leon.”
No further details have been released amid the ongoing investigation.
Their disappearance comes just weeks after mom-of-seven Maria del Carmen Lopez, 63, was reportedly kidnapped from her home in Pueblo Nuevo, Colima.
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Her daughter Zonia Lopez told the ABC affiliate KABC that witnesses saw a white van drive onto her property.
She said that her mom “refused” to get into the vehicle.
Maria’s family claimed that a person got out of the van and “pulled” the matriarch into the vehicle before driving away.
Zonia said: “At this point, we need answers, we need to find my mother.”
Donald Alway, the FBI assistant director in charge of the Los Angeles Field Office, told CNN that investigators don’t believe drug cartels were involved in her kidnapping.
He said: “We’ll look at every avenue and we’ll follow every lead and we’ll open every door that we can find to ensure that our primary goal is to get her back safely.”
Three women remain missing more than two weeks after they crossed the Mexican border.
Maritza Trinidad Perez Rios, 47, Marina Perez Rios, 48, and Dora Alicia Cervantes Saenz went to sell clothes at a flea market in Montemorelos, Nuevo Leon on February 24.
And, Americans Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown were killed after being kidnapped on March 3.
Woodard, Brown, Latavia "Tay" McGee, and Eric James Williams came under fire after driving into the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas.
Authorities said that cartels may have mistaken the tourists for Haitian drug smugglers.
Barbara Burgess, 54, McGee's mother, confirmed to ABC News that her daughter traveled from South Carolina to Mexico for a cosmetic medical procedure - scheduled on the day of the kidnappings.
The Tamaulipas governor said the four friends were found in a “wooden stash house” around six miles from where they were kidnapped.
More than 500 American citizens are thought to be missing in Mexico.
The recent incidents have sparked safety concerns for revelers heading to Mexico for spring break this year.
So far, the US State Department has warned Americans should not travel to six Mexican states amid the risks of crime and kidnapping.
Tourists should not head to Colima, Guerrero, Michoacan, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas.
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But officials have warned Americans to exercise increased caution in tourist hotspots like Mexico City.
Former NYPD cop Michael Alcazar told The U.S. Sun that Mexican cartels are “immoral” and enjoy targeting unsuspecting American tourists.