Lake Pirates

Reports: Search For 'Lake Pirates' Victim Suspended

Eric Lach | October 15, 2010, 1:37PM

US Border Patrol Agents patrol Falcon Lake

CNN and the McAllen Monitor are reporting that Mexican authorities have suspended the search for David Hartley, the American man reportedly shot by "lake pirates" on the Mexican side of Lake Falcon two weeks ago.

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Lake Pirates

TX Sheriff: Report Of 'Lake Pirates' Shooting Suspects Pushed By Cartels

Eric Lach | October 15, 2010, 8:45AM

Sheriff of Zapata County Sigifredo Gonzalez

The Texas sheriff working most closely on the "lake pirates" shooting incident told TPM Thursday that reports over the weekend of suspects in the case may have been distributed by drug cartels. Reports from both sides of the border about the case have conflicted often, and Zapata County Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez himself has been at the center of some of the confusion. But in an interview with TPM Thursday, he said his office had spoken with Mexican authorities, who told him they had not given information about suspects to the media.

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Lake Pirates

Hillary Clinton Calls 'Lake Pirates' Incident 'A Terrible Tragedy' (VIDEO)

Eric Lach | October 14, 2010, 10:08AM

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke about the "lake pirates" shooting in an interview aired on Good Morning America this morning. The family of David Hartley, the man reportedly shot while jet skiing on the Mexican side of a border-straddling lake, has publicly called for more federal involvement in the search and investigation. In media appearances, Hartley's mother has appealed to Clinton directly. Clinton said the State Department is helping, and that the U.S. government "is supporting local law enforcement, supporting the authorities on the border. Doing everything that we know to do to try to assist in helping to find the body and helping to find the perpetrators."

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Falcon Lake

Was 'Lake Pirates' Shooting A Case Of Mistaken Identity?

Eric Lach | October 13, 2010, 6:29PM

Tiffany and David Hartley

A new report by the intelligence company STRATFOR offers a possible explanation for the mystery surrounding the "lake pirates" shooting. Unnamed sources tell STRATFOR the incident "may have been a case of mistaken identity."

Two weeks ago, David Hartley and his wife, Tiffany, were jet skiing and taking photographs on the Mexican side of Falcon Lake, which straddles the U.S.-Mexico border. Tiffany later said that she and David were approached by people in three boats, and attacked. The couple was reportedly fired at, and David was shot in the head. Tiffany said she was unable to retrieve his body from the water, and then had to flee for her own safety. Since the incident occurred on the Mexican side of the lake, Mexican authorities have been leading the investigation and search, while Tiffany Hartley and David's family have been very visible in the media telling the story of the shooting and calling for a stepped-up search effort. Neither David Hartley nor his jet ski has yet been found. The entire case has been clouded by conflicting reports and the sheer number of authorities involved on different levels from both sides of the border. Yesterday, the severed head of the investigation's supervisor, Tamaulipas State Police Commandant Rolando Armando Flores Villegas, was found by Mexican authorities.

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Tiffany Hartley

Report: Mexican Investigator Of 'Lake Pirates' Incident Decapitated

Eric Lach | October 12, 2010, 6:35PM

US Border Patrol Agents patrol Falcon Lake

Mexican authorities are confirming that the severed head of the supervisor in the "lake pirates" shooting investigation was discovered today, the McAllen, Texas Monitor reports.

David Hartley's wife, Tiffany Hartley, says that she and David were jet skiing on the Mexican side of Falcon Lake two weeks ago, when they were attacked by people in three boats. She says David was shot in the head, and that she was unable to rescue him before fleeing for safety. Since the incident, she has appeared on national media, pleading for a stepped-up search effort. Neither David Hartley nor his jet ski have yet been found. Because the incident occurred on the Mexican side of the border-straddling lake, Mexican authorities have been leading the search and investigation.

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Lake Pirates

The Border Hawk Texas Sheriff And The 'Lake Pirates'

Eric Lach | October 9, 2010, 2:05PM

Sheriff of Zapata County Sigifredo Gonzalez

The search continues for the body of Texan David Hartley, the American man who was reportedly shot while he and his wife were jet skiing on the Mexican side of a border-straddling lake. David's wife, Tiffany Hartley, has made many media appearances during the week, and has become the face of the incident. But Zapata County Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez is the one who first told reporters he suspected lake "pirates" were to blame for the alleged shooting, which put the story on the national radar. And it turns out this isn't the first time Gonzalez has been in the national press talking up threats from south of the border.

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Lake Pirates

Wife Of 'Lake Pirates' Victim: We Need To Take Back The Lake

Eric Lach | October 7, 2010, 2:54PM

Tiffany and Pam Hartley

Tiffany Hartley, the wife of the man reportedly shot by "lake pirates" on the Texas-Mexico border, has been all over the media in recent days, telling her harrowing tale. Hartley has also been calling on the federal government to take more responsibility for the incident.

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Lake Pirates

Search Continues For Man Allegedly Shot By 'Lake Pirates'

Eric Lach | October 7, 2010, 11:50AM

Tiffany Hartley

Stepped up search efforts yesterday by Mexican officials on Lake Falcon yielded no sign of David Hartley, the Texas man reportedly shot by "lake pirates" last Thursday while jet skiing and taking photographs with his wife on the Mexican side of a border-straddling lake. Hartley's wife Tiffany says the pair were approached by three boats of armed people, who fired at them and shot her husband in the head. She said she was able to escape on her own jet ski.

Yesterday, Tiffany Hartley went back out on the water of Falcon Lake, accompanied by members of David's family, and placed a wreath on the water. CBS's The Early Show said she had laid the flowers near the site of the incident, while MSNBC reported that she stayed in American waters.

This morning, Tiffany Hartley made television appearances for the third straight day.

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Janet Napolitano

Napolitano: Speculation About 'Lake Pirates' Story Is 'Unwarranted'

Ryan J. Reilly | October 6, 2010, 4:02PM

Falcon Reservoir and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano

Speculation about the veracity of the story from the wife of an American man reportedly shot by "lake pirates" on Falcon Lake along the Texas-Mexico border is "unwarranted," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Wednesday.

"I think speculation is unwarranted," Napolitano said in a briefing with reporters. "The whole matter is under investigation, and as I said earlier, the thing that is going on now is a renewed search by the law enforcement in Tamaulipas [Mexico] to find the body."

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Lake Pirates

Gov. Perry: Those Who Doubt Tiffany Hartley's Lake Pirates Story 'Ought To Be Ashamed'

Eric Lach | October 6, 2010, 3:11PM

Texas Gov. Rick Perry

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) is getting involved in the case of a man reportedly killed by "lake pirates" while jet skiing on a body of water that straddles the Mexico-Texas border. Perry told the Associated Press that he has asked Mexican President Felipe Calderon to call him within 48 hours to discuss the search for David Hartley. Perry said if Hartley is not located by then, "we're not looking hard enough."

Tiffany Hartley says that she and her husband were jet skiing and taking pictures on the Mexican side of the lake last Thursday, when they were attacked by people in three boats. David was reportedly shot in the head, and Tiffany, unable to lift his body onto her jet ski, fled for her safety. Neither David nor his jet ski have been located. Hartley's family has been vocally calling on the governments of both Mexico and the U.S. to step up their efforts. The incident happened in Mexican waters, and the local sheriff has declined an invitation to assist in the search "because it's dangerous."

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Sigifredo Gonzalez

TX Sheriff Declined Invite To Help With Search For 'Lake Pirates' Victim (VIDEO)

Eric Lach | October 6, 2010, 1:03PM

Sheriff of Zapata County Sigifredo Gonzalez

The family of the man reportedly killed on the Mexican side of Falcon Lake on the Texas border has been publicly pleading that American officials be allowed to cross over the border to search for his body. But the Sheriff leading the investigation on the U.S. side told Today this morning that Mexican officials invited his office to participate in the search last night, but that he declined the offer "because it's dangerous." (The man's wife, Tiffany Hartley, appeared in the same segment)

Hartley has maintained that her husband was shot in the head by "lake pirates" while the couple were on jet skis. His body hasn't been recovered, and she says she was able to escape on her own jet ski.

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Lake Pirates

Today Show Asks Tiffany Hartley: Did You Have Anything To Do With Your Husband's Death? (VIDEO)

Eric Lach | October 6, 2010, 12:26PM

Tiffany Hartley, right, and her mother.

Tiffany Hartley, the wife of the man reportedly shot by "lake pirates" on the Mexican side of Falcon Lake last week, was back on television today, telling her story the morning after a memorial service for her husband, David Hartley. On Today, Meredith Vieira pointedly asked Hartley if she'd had anything to do with David's death.

Tiffany Hartley has maintained that her husband was shot in the head by "lake pirates" while the couple were on jet skis. His body hasn't been recovered, and she says she was able to escape on her own jet ski.

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Lake Pirates

Wife Of 'Lake Pirates' Victim Speaks Out As Mexican Authorities Question Story

Eric Lach | October 5, 2010, 3:02PM

Falcon Reservoir, Tiffany Hartley (inset)

The story of an American apparently killed after reportedly being shot by "lake pirates" on Falcon Lake along the Texas-Mexico border is being questioned by the Mexican authorities charged with investigating the incident, even as his widow is making media appearances to tell her terrifying tale. This morning, Tiffany Hartley responded to doubts about her story on national television.

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