Washington, Oct 7 -

On Monday, Congressman Ted Poe (TX-02) sent a letter to the U.S. State Department Secretary Hillary Clinton inquiring about the steps being taken by the United States in recovering the body of David Michael Hartley.

Local authorities report that David Hartley was shot and killed when he and his wife, Tiffany, crossed over into Mexican waters to get a look at a sunken mission below the surface.  Tiffany reports the couple was ambushed by gunmen from the Mexican side of the lake.  While she managed to escape, David’s body remains missing.

“The number one issue at hand is that an American citizen has been reportedly murdered, his body is missing in Mexican waters and our government is not taking charge of the situation,” said Poe. “It has now been nearly a week and the State Department is still waiting for ‘permission’ from the Mexican government to locate the body of an American citizen.  This is unacceptable.”

“It concerns me a great deal that we are leaving the recovery efforts up to the Mexican government,” continued Poe.  “The drug cartels have operational control of the area on the Mexican side of the border.  Not to mention, their track record for solving murder cases is less than impressive.”

This is not the first report of armed attacks on Falcon Lake.  Zapata County Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzales has been calling for help from federal authorities for months.  In May of this year, Congressman Poe detailed some of these crimes on the House floor. 

To view the letter sent to Sec. Hillary Clinton, click here.

Prior to serving in Congress, Congressman Poe served as a prosecutor and judge in Houston, Texas, for 30 years.  Poe regularly travels to the southern border and is recognized by the Border Sheriffs Coalition as a top supporter of law enforcement and border security.  Congressman Poe serves on the Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security; a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs; and serves as an Executive Member of the Immigration Reform Caucus.

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