2 more men have vanished across the border

The situation is not getting better.

LAREDO — A day after one family was reunited following a harrowing kidnapping ordeal, another stepped forward Tuesday to make a public plea for help finding their loved ones.

The three-week ordeal of Librado Piña Jr., now released and back with family, was highly publicized. But relatives of brothers Felipe and Sergio Lopez only now have decided to break a silence of more than 31/2 months.

The Lopez brothers, owners of a currency exchange business called La Moneda in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, were kidnapped in late August and haven't been heard from since, said Carmen Lopez, Sergio Lopez's wife.

Sergio Lopez is a U.S. citizen who lives in Laredo. His brother, a Mexican national, lives in Nuevo Laredo with his family.

Felipe Lopez was apprehended by a group of unidentified men as he left his office for lunch Aug. 23, Carmen Lopez said.

The men drove Felipe Lopez to his home, where they kept the businessman and his family hostage, inquiring about the details of their business, she said.

The next morning, not knowing what had happened to his brother the previous evening, Sergio was opening the money exchange when a group of eight men dressed in gray grabbed him and hauled him into a car, a witness told the family.

The kidnappers then disappeared with both brothers, Carmen Lopez said.

Two more kidnapped at the border