Three women missing in Mexico after crossing border from Texas to sell clothing at flea market

Two sisters from a Texas border town and another woman are reportedly missing after crossing the border in to Mexico last month to sell clothing at a flea market.

The Associated Press reported Friday that 48-year-old Marina Perez Rios and her younger sister Maritza Trinidad Perez Rios, 47, haven’t been heard from since Feb. 24 after driving to the city of Montemorelos in the Nuevo León state.

Their friend, 53-year-old Dora Alicia Cervantes Saenz, was also along for the trip.

The two sisters are from the small city of Peñitas, which is a few hundred feet from the Rio Grande. It’s unclear where Saenz is from.

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In these undated photos provided by the Penitas Police Department, from left are sisters Maritza Rios, 47, and Marina Rios, 48, and their friend, Dora Saenz, 53. (Penitas Police Department via AP)

Peñitas Police Chief Roel Bermea told The AP the women’s families have been in touch with Mexican authorities, who are investigating their disappearance. The State Prosecutor’s Office has also been investigating the women’s disappearance, The AP said.

The FBI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are also allegedly aware of the missing women, but could not be reached by Fox News Digital Friday night for comment.

Bermea said the husband of one of the women talked with her on the phone while the trio was traveling in Mexico on Feb. 24, but he couldn’t reach her after that conversation and became concerned.

“Since he couldn’t make contact over that weekend, he came in that Monday and reported it to us,” Bermea said – the Monday in question would have been Feb. 27.

The police chief shared that the women were traveling in a green mid-1990s Chevy Silverado and the city they were traveling to is approximately three hours from the border.

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Many questions remain in the disappearance of the three women as limited information has been released publicly – a case that stands in stark contrast to the abduction of four Americans who traveled to Mexico for plastic surgery last week.

Two of the four were allegedly killed by the Mexican Gulf Cartel after the van they were traveling in was shot at multiple times in the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas. Horrifying surveillance video from the area showed the Americans being hauled off from the scene of the shooting in a pickup truck. An innocent Mexican woman was also killed in the shooting.

The two survivors were found Tuesday in a wooden shack near the Gulf Coast following a massive search involving Mexican soldiers and National Guard troops.

On Thursday, the Gulf Cartel apologized for the act of violence against the innocent, stating it goes against their rules, and turned five members they say were involved in the shooting and abduction into authorities.

Five members of the Gulf Cartel that the group insists were responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Americans south of the border last week.  (Twitter)

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According to The AP, approximately 112,000 Mexicans are missing nationwide, but the only people seemingly looking for them are their loved ones. 

The outlet noted that the lack of manpower, equipment and training in Mexico does not even allow for authorities to identify tens of thousands of bodies that have been found.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.