U.S. officials have been warning travelers as of late to stay alert while vacationing in Mexico. Recently one traveler had to find out the hard way. As he was kidnapped and left bleeding from the left side of his body due to getting hacked with a machete on his way home from Cancun.

Photo Credit: Alexander Schimmeck

What happened?

Recently one of the attorney generals of Mexico launched an investigation into an alleged kidnapping. A dad from Utah came to Cancun with his wife for Valentine’s Day and was attacked with a machete.

36-year-old contractor, Dustan Jackson of Salt Lake City wanted to pick up some chewing tobacco before his flight home from Cancun. He called a cab and pulled up to the grocery store and once he got out, he was knocked unconscious. He didn’t wake up until sundown, with broken teeth, a welt on his head, and machete wounds on the left side of his body. He also realized his cell phone and credit cards were gone.

Jackson spent hours bleeding before authorities found him and drove him to the airport.

Barely any medical attention?

Photo Credit: Towfiqu Barbhuiya

“She put a few bandages on me; why didn’t she take me to the hospital, I don’t know,” he said. “Some of the horror stories I’ve heard, I’m glad that [she] didn’t because I could have been stuck down there. Who knows?”

Upon arrival at the airport, Jackson asked strangers for help until he came across someone who spoke English. The person helped with a call to his wife and set him up in a hotel overnight.

No record of the attack

The authorities in Cancun have no record of the attack on Jackson or of any interactions with the victim according to Fox News Digital. Fortunately, prosecutors have decided to launch an investigation. An official from the State Department also made a statement that the U.S. government is aware of the case and is prepared to lend a hand.

The state of Quintana Roo includes tourist destinations such as Cancun, Tulum, Cozumel, and Playa del Carmen. All these locations are far from where crime occurs but the State Department is still asking Americans to practice and “exercise increased caution.”

Always a treat

“Criminal activity and violence may occur in any location, at any time, including in popular tourist destinations,” the State Department warns. “Travelers should maintain a high level of situational awareness, avoid areas where illicit activities occur, and promptly depart from potentially dangerous situations. U.S. citizens and [lawful permanent residents] have been victims of kidnapping.”