FRESNO, Calif. (KMPH) -
There are new developments in the strange case of two young abandoned brothers in Mexico who say they are from Fresno.
The boys -- identified as 10-year-old Damian and 12-year-old Romeo Diaz Martinez -- were found beaten and malnourished outside a store in Guadalajara this week. The two are now in protective custody.
Damian and Romeo told Mexican reporters that "very mean people" took them from their grandma's home Tuesday and dropped them off at the store.
But when reporters tracked down the so-called grandma, she told them she was actually the adoptive grandma. She told reporters the boys were visiting for the last seven months after their mom brought them from the United States.
Reporters found other children at the home.
Now, according to Azteca Noticias, those children have been removed from the woman's home by the Jalisco State Attorney General's Office.
According to reports, all the children were born in the U.S.
The reports also say the woman went to the authorities on Wednesday, trying to claim the two brothers as her grandchildren, but she did not have the required documentation.
One government official says it appears the brothers are in Mexico illegally.
The State Department released the following statement to KMPH News: "The U.S. Consulate General is aware of the reports of two abandoned U.S. children found early this morning in Tlaquepaque. The consular section is actively working with Mexican authorities including the local police to assist these citizens. Due to privacy regulations, we are unable to comment further."
A spokesman for the Mexican Consulate in Fresno says so far, no family has come forward to claim the children.
Stay with KMPH News and KMPH.com as we continue to follow this story.
