'Just waiting to die': American tourist mugged, butchered, and left for dead in Cancún, Mexico

Cancún, which derives its name from the Yucatec Maya languge's word for "nest of snakes," proved to offer more than bites for one American tourist whose trip to Mexico left him permanently disfigured.

Dustan Jackson and his wife set off to Cancún, Mexico, for a vacation last February. Things went off without a hitch until the day they were scheduled to fly home.

With their departure still hours away, KTTV reported that Jackson sought to kill time, unaware that his own might soon run out.

Jackson grabbed a cab in hopes of tracking down and purchasing some chewing tobacco. The first stop was a gas station, which didn't carry the desired product. Jackson walked out empty-handed, unaware that his cab driver had determined to take more than a simple fare.

The cab driver volunteered to take Jackson to a grocery store that might have the chewing tobacco.

At their destination, the American tourist allegedly got out only to discover that the cab driver, who would go on to charge thousands of dollars to Jackson's credit card, had ferried him to a swarm of machete-wielding bandits. "Boom, lights out," said Jackson, trying to recall what happened next.

"And the next thing I know, I'm waking up in a ditch."

Had it only been a mugging, Jackson would likely only have missed his flight and been down some cash. The fate Jackson faced was far worse.

Doctors later told Jackson that, on the basis of his crushed shoulder, he was likely thrown out of a vehicle. However he came to be in a Mexican ditch, he was fully cognizant that it was there the bandits-turned-kidnappers mutilated him.

Jackson told KTTV that "They went to cut my Achilles tendon, and they missed and, instead of hitting it, they hit the bottom of my foot and then my foot just flapped around." He noted that "they were trying to cut all my tendons and leave me for dead."

"I'll never forget that feeling," said Jackson. "It was the scariest feeling in the entire world."

After the attack, Jackson allegedly languished in the ditch for at least 36 hours. "I was laying there, pretty much just waiting to die," he said.

Instead of succumbing to his injuries, Jackson bucked up, reminding himself he had a wife and kids.

Although he had summoned the strength to carry on, Jackson's inability to speak Spanish proved disadvantageous. He recalled screaming out for help for hours on end to no avail, and claimed to have had his pleas ignored even by Mexican police.

Finally, he came across one female police officer who offered him aid and brought him to the airport. There, an African traveler whose flight had been cancelled provided him with much needed assistance.

KTTV indicated that Jackson underwent four surgeries to repair the extensive damage to his foot and shoulder.

Notwithstanding his diminished mobility, Jackson, a father of five, noted that he doesn't take the "little times in life ... for granted anymore."

He also stressed the importance of recognizing that "you just don't know what life is going to bring you, so never give up. Keep going. Everybody has a purpose."

The U.S. State Department recently warned American citizens about travelling to Mexico, stating: “Violent crime — such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery — is widespread and common in Mexico. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in many areas of Mexico.”

The State Department also noted that "U.S. citizens have been the victims of both non-violent and violent crimes in tourist and non-tourist areas."

Cancún is located in the Quintana Roo state, home to a number of other tourist attractions and resorts.

Although the State Department has neither instructed Americans not to travel to Quintana Roo or reconsider travel there as it has with many of the other Mexican states, Americans are nevertheless advised to "exercise increased situational awareness" after dark in the downtown areas of Cancún , Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and the Riviera Maya.

Mexico is a popular tourist destination for Americans, but for some it is also a final destination.

Earlier this year, a Minnesota couple was murdered while driving their truck in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, by thugs on motorcycles.

An American family of nine, including 8-month-old twins, were brutally slaughtered in 2019 while traveling through Chihuahua, Mexico, just 100 miles south from the Arizona border.

Paul Nielsen and Janet Vasquez of Utah were also targeted in 2019. While they were both robbed and murdered in Guerrero, Mexico, their son survived with minor injuries.

In 2018, 27-year-old Taylor Meyer was robbed and stabbed to death in Playa del Carmen.

Others Americans, like Jackson, have returned alive, but damaged.

In June 2021, an American tourist was wounded in a shooting on a resort beach in Cancún.

Last November, four Americans were injured when Mexican gangsters opened fire at the Hyatt Ziva Riviera beach resort in Cancún.

Tourist kidnapped in Mexico had foot hacked with machete before being left for deadyoutu.be