Federal authorities are asking for the public’s help in locating three Texas women who are believed to have been kidnapped after crossing into the border city of Nuevo Laredo for medical care.

The case began on March 3, at 3 p.m. when three women crossed into Nuevo Laredo so one could visit an eye doctor, a prepared statement from the FBI revealed. According to authorities, there is no indication that the women did not plan on returning and are currently believed to have been kidnapped.

The women have been identified as 38-year-old Perla Ercia, 38-year-old Blasa Guadalupe Palomo, and her 18-year-old daughter Blasa Guadalupe “Lupita” Palomo. The women were driving a 2014 Toyota Corolla with Texas license plate FVS-0792.

The statement from the FBI does not reveal details about the presumed kidnapping, however, the case comes at a time when Nuevo Laredo continues to be controlled by the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas. As Breitbart Texas has reported, the feared drug cartel is considered one of Mexico’s most violent. The CDN-Los Zetas have distinguished themselves from other cartels due to their widespread use of paramilitary forces with armored vehicles and cloned military-style uniforms.

The CDN-Los Zetas is behind numerous large-scale gun battles including cases where U.S. authorities had to issue temporary warnings about not crossing into Mexico.

Mexican federal and state governments have been unable to reign in the fearsome cartel which has been linked to kidnappings, mass disappearances, extortion, and other high-impact crimes.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.