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

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

The Associated Press reported on Friday that Marina Pérez Rios, 48, and her younger sister Maritza Trinidad Pérez Rios, 47, have not been heard from since February 24 when they drove into the city of Montemorelos in Nuevo Leon state.

His friend, Dora Alicia Cervantes Saenz, 53, was also accompanying him for the trip.

Both sisters are from the small town of Penitas, a few hundred feet from the Rio Grande. It is not clear 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)

Penitas police chief Roel Bermea told the AP that the woman’s family is in contact with Mexican authorities, who are investigating her disappearance. The state prosecutor’s office is also investigating the women’s disappearance, the AP said.

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

Bermia said one woman’s husband spoke to her on the phone while the three were traveling in Mexico on February 24, but he could not contact her after that conversation and became concerned.

“Since he could not be contacted that weekend, he came in that Monday and informed us,” Burmia said – the relevant Monday would have been February 27.

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

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

Two of the four were reportedly killed by the Mexican Gulf Cartel after the van they were traveling in was shot several times in the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas. Terrifying surveillance video from the area showed Americans being driven away from the scene of the shooting in a pickup truck. An innocent Mexican woman was also killed in the shootout.

Two survivors were found Tuesday in a wooden shack near the Gulf Coast after a massive search involving soldiers from Mexico and the National Guard.

On Thursday, the Gulf Cartel apologized for the act of violence against innocents, stating it was against their rules, and turned down five members they say were involved in the shooting and kidnapping of officers.

Five members of the Gulf Cartel, which the group says were responsible for the kidnapping and killing of Americans south of the border last week. (Twitter)

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According to The AP, some 112,000 Mexicans are missing nationwide, but the only people showing up are those searching for their loved ones.

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

The Associated Press contributed to this report.