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On Thursday Mexican authorities in Matamoros discovered five men, lying face down with their hands tied. And beside them was a letter of apology allegedly from the Gulf Cartel.

The powerful criminal cartel blamed the men for the recent attack on four Americans. The note apologized for the assault that left two Americans and one Mexican dead and claimed that it was giving up the men who carried it out.

“The Gulf Cartel Scorpion Group strongly condemns the events of Friday, March 3 in which unfortunately an innocent working mother died, and 4 American citizens were kidnapped, of which 2 died.” 

“We have decided to hand over those involved and directly responsible for the events, who at all times acted of their own volition,” the letter claimed. 

It has not yet been established whether the message was accurate or even actually written by the cartel.

Did the Gulf Cartel leave a note?

Mexican authorities will question the five men to try to determine whether they participated in the abduction and killings. 

Four Americans, who were abducted last Friday after armed men shot at their car at an intersection in Matamoros, had gone to Mexico to accompany one of them, Latavia Washington McGee, 33, for cosmetic surgery.

The Americans, traveling with McGee, were Shaeed Woodard, 33; Zindell Brown, 28; and Eric James Williams, 38.

Local Mexican media outlets identified the Mexican woman who was killed as Areli Pablo Servando. She was a 33-year-old employed in a photocopying shop.

 Investigators are considering the possibility that the murders may have been a case of mistaken identity.

On Tuesday, four days after the attack, the missing Americans were found by Mexican authorities. Ms. McGee and one other person were alive and sent back to the United States that same day. The other two were dead, and their bodies were returned to U.S. authorities on Thursday.

Criminal gangs in Mexico typically do not target Americans. The group typically operates under the radar. And attacks on Americans create a storm of media and law enforcement attention.

This most recent violence has become a major international incident. 

The letter claims to be written by the Scorpion faction of the powerful Gulf Cartel that controls Tamaulipas. 

The city of Matamoros is rife with cartel violence. And the Gulf Cartel is by far the largest. It has infiltrated nearly all aspects of life in the area.