17 March 2023 , 12:33
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An American mum-of-seven has been kidnapped by masked men in Mexico with the FBI offering a reward for information.
The family of kidnapped Maria del Carmen Lopez, 63, say they have received a recording of her pleading they pay a ransom as her life depends on it.
It comes after authorities in Texas warned US citizens to not travel to Mexico during the spring break, due to high levels of criminal activity, and after the recent cases of deadly kidnapping of Americans in the country.
Ms Lopez was taken on February 9 from her house in Pueblo Nuevo, Colima, in Mexico, in the middle of the day with a neighbour seeing the kidnap take place, according to one of Ms Lopez’s children.
"They got off of the truck, they had masks covering their faces, and they exchanged some words. They said they did hear my mom say and plead that she was not going to go with them, she would not go," Zonia Lopez said.
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Ms Lopez has seven children and 19 grandchildren“We miss you, we can’t wait to have you home safe”
She told NBC4: “We did receive, we were able to hear, what sounds to us like the recording of her pleading for us to please help her, please pay the money because her life depended on it.”
Ms Lopez, who has 19 grandchildren, bought the retirement home in Mexico nine years ago and spent her time going back and forth from California with children in both countries.
The FBI has now said it is offering a $20,000 reward for information and believe it to be a kidnapping for money rather than drug related.
Daughter Zonia Lopez has made an emotional appeal“She has family in both Los Angeles and Riverside County, she would actually go back and forth to Mexico and back to southern California pretty frequently,” FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller told NBC4.
“We do not believe it is drug related, we believe, again, she was targeted for a kidnapping.”
She added: “We are at the stage now where we felt that reward money was in order.”
Ms Lopez is described as having blonde hair and brown eyes, she is 5ft 2in tall and weighs around 11 stone.
The FBI is offering a reward for information leading to Ms Lopez being found (FBI)The FBI tweeted: “The FBI is offering a reward of up to $20K for information that leads to the location of Maria del Carmen Lopez, 63, who was allegedly kidnapped from a residence in Pueblo Nuevo, Colima, Mexico on 2/9. Lopez is an American citizen with ties to #SoCal.”
Colima is considered one of the most dangerous states in Mexico due to a turf war headed by the Jalisco Nueva Generacion drug cartel. The battle centres around the port of Manzanillo which is one of the biggest in Mexico and where they are known to receive chemicals from Asia that are used in the manufacture of synthetic drugs.
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The capital of Colima has been listed as the most dangerous city in the world with 182 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 2022.