The father-in-law and brother-in-law of American actress and former Miss USA Ali Landry were found dead in Mexico after being kidnapped for ransom.

Landry, who gained fame for a Doritos commercial during the 1998 Super Bowl, is married to Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Gómez Monteverde

Officials announced that her husband's father and brother - Juan Manuel Gómez Fernández and Juan Manuel Gómez Monteverde - were murdered in Tampico, which is located in a region known for drug cartel violence.

The two men were kidnapped near their home and held for 16 days. A ransom was reportedly paid.

The Latin Times reports:

Monteverde’s brother, Juan Manuel, was a business partner at “La Pecerita,” previously known as “El Callejón de los Milagros” in Tampico, Tamaulipas, restaurant that has allegedly reported drug cartel activity in the past. It is well known that the south of Tamaulipas and the north of Veracruz are lawless territories with high rates of crime, primarily caused by drug cartel members. According to Televisa’s news anchor Carlos Loret de Mola, a ransom was paid for the release but the kidnappers didn’t keep their word. No further details about this horrible crime have been disclosed.

The filmmaker, who directed the 2015 movie "Little Boy," posted a Christmas Day photo with his father last year.

$2 MILLION?! Man Can Only Laugh at Unthinkable Verizon Bill

Florida 'Officer of the Year' Arrested on Child Porn Charges

Report: Selfies Have Killed More People Than Sharks This Year

Some Americans May Soon Need a Passport to Board a Domestic Flight