♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, kidnapped in mexico. two americans dead and two back home safely. >> i guess tt he's alive. >> after a kidnapping in broad daylight near the texas border. what authorities are now saying could have led to th abductions. plus hair relaxer lawsuits. dozens of black women across the country suing cosmetic giants. >> this cancer has turned my life upside down. my family's life upside down. >> are chemicals in popular hair relaxers making them sick? >> this is the fight. and it's standing up for black women everywhere who have been

subjected to this. >> as one major beauty brand responds, will more women come forward? royal rebel. my interview with sarah ferguson, the duchess of york. >> i'm liberated. >> a paparazzi favorite and princess diana's confidant. >> i think we'd have a granny-off. >> now opening up about the royal family. from the prince she married -- >> what's it been like watching him go through this weathering public scrutiny? >> to the prince in the spotlight. >> what i'm thrilled about is seeing harry so happy. heeser to be loved like that. >> and the pzed possessions bequeathed by the queen. ♪ whenever heartburn strikes, get fast relief with tums. its time to love food back. ♪tum, tum tum tum, tums♪

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or lactose intolerance. but with kaiser permanente you can choose your doctor who works with other best-in-class specialists to care for all that is you. ♪ thanks for joining us. we begin tonight south of the border with the brazen kidnapping of four americans who crossed into mexico from texas. we're learnin new details about the condition of the two survivors of the attack as well as the two who did not. we're also hearing from authorities who say this may have been a case of mistaken identity. abc's matt rivers is in mexico tonight, matt? >> reporter: good evening, juju. mexican officials tonight laid out in more detail their three-day search that ultimately led authorties to those kidnapped americans, the

survivors, and the dead located in the same wooden house just outside the city of matamoros. tonight, two americans have been found alive and are now back safe in the u.s. after this horrific kidnapping at gunpoint in a mexican border city. >> two u.s. citizens were returned to the united states. the bodies of two other u.s. citizens killed in the same incident were also recovered. >> reporter: barbara burgess tells abc news her daughter, latavia tay mcgee, is one of the survivors. >> i had to hold my heart. >> reporter: her mother says she has no major injuries. tonight the wife of mcgee's friend, eric james williams, said he had surgery in texas for gunshot wounds to both legs. >> it's a joy, i guess, that he's alive. >> reporter: the other two members of the group, shaeed woodard and zindell brown killed, their bodies headed back to the u.s. according to her family, mcgee traveled with others from lake city, south carolina, to mexico to get cosmetic surgery.

armed gunmen in body armor chased them, opening fire on their white minivan. a source close to the investigation telling abc news that investigators believe the gunmen may have targeted the vehicle because they wrongly believed the group of americans were rival human traffickers. >> our thanks to matt rivers. now to a story with deep cultural roots and potentially deadly consequences. for years many black women have straightened their hair for any number of reasons, including to avoid discrimation or bias. but according to several lawsuits, the products they used could come with a life-threatening cost. here's abc's janai norman. >> this cancer has turned my life upside down, my family's life upside down. i had no idea this would be the effect of using relaxers for years. >> reporter: for years, 55old ronda terrell has gred with how cancer has

taken over her life. the alabama native has a rare and aggressive form of uterine cancer that she believes stems from decades of relaxing her hair. she says she was in about second grade when she started using those chemical straighteners. >> how early do you recall thinking about your hair and wanting it to look different than it did? >> oh, since i was a child. my mother, her sisters, all had long, straight hair. we were just kind of conditioned like that. i was tender headed as a child, so having a relaxer made it easier for my mother to comb my hair. it's so ingrained in me, that this is what we do. >> reporte rondaventuay stopped using chemical straighteners to hel strengthen her hair, and it wasn't until years later she got that difficult cancer diagnosis, despite having no family history of the disease. >> they removed everything, cervix, fallopian tubes,

ovaries, lymph nodes. six rounds of chemo. >> reporter: ronda is one of at least 61 women across the country who have now filed lawsuits against major beauty brands like l'oreal who manufacture chemical hair straighteners. the plaintiffs, predominantly black women, allege their health issues -- some as severe as uterine cancer -- were caused by their use of those products. >> this is the fight, and it's standing up for black women everywhe who have been subjected to this. >> right now most companies' only concern is for their shareholders. and they don't care that a woman like me in rural alabama has cancer that may, will likely cut my life short. and i want them to be held reonsibl >> rorr: the ligatio cites a recent udyublished last october that suggested women who used chemical hair straighteners more than four times a year were more than twice as likto develop uterine cancer compared to women

who didn't use those products. >> this study is a perfect example of where we have correlation. so we know these two things are linked numerically. but we don't understand causation. we don't know whether it's the demonstrateners themselves that are causing cancer or is it something associated with who's using chemical straighteners? so it's the beginning of the question, but it certainly isn't the end all, be all of knowing what's really going on. >> reporter: researchers didn't identify a particular ingredient in the study, and they also stated more research needs to be between hair relaxers and satio- cancer. additionally, studies show that rates of aggressive types of uterine cancer are rising rapidly in the u.s., particularly among black women. >> hair that captures the sun. >> reporter: beauty brands market chemical relaxers to black women and girls, promising silky straight hair. >> feels smoother than satin.

softer than velvet. >> reporter: posed as a solution. the problem, that society has long viewed black women and their hair as being beneath the beauty standard, and in order to assimilate, black women have long faced societal pressure to straighten their hair. >> western standards of beauty are very powerful. and for a long time, natural black hair was just not really deemed professional or appropriate. >> reporter: but a renaissance of sorts in recent years has ushered in a renewed push to push back. for black women to embrace their natural hair, the versatility, from curls and coils to box braids and blowouts, twists and afros, locks and silk presses. i've beenhrgh it myself. throughout my career it's been a journey tombrace my natural hair. >> i want to remind everyone at home that boone county is under a red flag warning -- >> reporter: in 2019, i decided

my natural hair was enough. enter #freethecurls. >> as an african american woman, it is the societal norm to have your hair look a certain way. mitchell started relaxing her hair as a child. the army veteran was just 28 when she was diagnosed with uterine cancer, despite having no family history of the disease. doctors recommended a hysterectomy, removing her uterus and her chances of ever experiencing pregnancy. >> that was harder than the cancer diagnosis. it's devastating. and i think about it every day. it's not something that i think i will ever ble to overcome. >> reporter: she and her lawyers, including attorney benjamin crump, have filed a federal lawsuit against multiple cosmetic companies, including

l'oreal, claiming their chemical hair straighteners caused her cancer and blaming the beauty brands for putting profits over people. >> the science was always there for everybody to see. we don't accept willful ignorance. >> reporter: l'oreal said, "we're confident in the safety of our products and believe the recent lawsuits filed against us have no merit. l'oreal upholds the highest standards of safety for all its products. our products are subject to a rigorous scientific evaluation of their safety by experts who also ensure that we follow strictly allegulations in every market in which we operate." strength of nature global llc declined to comment. abc news has not heard back from other companies named in the lawsuit. ronda continues chemotherapy, not knowing how much longer she

has left. one thing she says she knows for sure, the price she believes she's paid for beauty has already cost her too much. >> for anybody out there still considering, let me go ahead and get this cdone one last time wht would you say? >> it's not word it. we have so many options now with styles, that it's not worth it. it really isn't. >> our thanks to janai. up next, 63 and her most authentic self. so what does royal rebel sarah ferguson say about harry and meghan? my interview with the duchess of york. uble falling asleep and staying asleep— you know, insomnia. before i found quviviq, an fda-approved insomnia medication for adults, you would not believe the things i used to think about when i couldn't sleep.

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♪ her marriage into british royalty made sarah ferguson a household name. but the other names she was called were not always kind. but out of all of the drama, she has emerged, she says, newly liberated and opening up about how her royal experience is inspiring her creative writing. i recently sat down with the duchess of york. >> it's like i've taken the mental shackles out of my brain. i feel liberated. i don't know whether it's the queen passing on that i now think i can say openly what i want to say without worrying. i'm really, truly, authentic sarah now. >> reporter:arah ferguson. duchess of york. a royal who never quite fit the mold.

no longer a working royal, her marriage to prince andrew ended in 1996 just months before princess diana's divorce was finalized. the famous sisters-in-law sharing the glare of the world spotlight. >> diana would be very proud of her grandchildren. >> do you think she'd be proud of her sons? >> i think we'd have a granny-off. because she would run faster in the races. >> of course. >> yeah. but i wonder, hm, she'd probably be funnier. no, i think i'd be funnier. she has very good grandchildren. her boys, really special boys. >> reporter: for over two decades the dutch chet chess was one of the most photographed and scrutinized women in the world, often ridiculed in tabloids around the globe. >> it's so bad, 82% would rather sleep with a goat than fergie, or fat, frumpy fergie, the duchess of pork. all these extraordinary moments. but they've made me stronger.

>> did you feel that way as part of the royal household, that there are so many traditions that you were chafing against? >> i'm not good at conforming. >> reporter: the duchess says she's channeled her turmoil over the prying press into her love of writing. you've been recorded saying you took to writing to avoid the chaos and a lot of tabloid noise that was occurring. in what way was writing cathartic for you as an escape? >> yes, i think that i'm very lucky to be here alive right now. i know. because i had to address lots of mental issues all the way through, which is why i've written 82 books. >> does this mean you had thoughts of self-harm? >> i didn't want to end my life. i don't have that in me. but i did have to go through very serious eating disorders and very serious disorders, mental disorders, of having no self-worth. >> reporter: this is only her

second novel, "a most intriguing lady: a historical romance" centered around lady marry, a proper victorian woman by day, amateur sleuth by night. the title isn't the only parallel to the dauch chess' life. in what way do you think this mirrors your life? being a little bit of a royal rebel? >> so true. i think the red hair goes a long way. lady mary is me, sarah. it's cheeky, it's fies taste yeah. it's lady marry, it's everything in my book. >> reporter: the new book after a lifetime's worth of royal scandal. the pressures of a royal marriage from your fracturing their fairytale romance. in recent years, prince andrew has been scrutinized for his close ties to convicted sex offender jeffrey epstein, now deceased. the prince also accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old. while he's never been criminally charged, he settled a civil lawsuit without admitting wrongdoing. you've been divorced for many,

many years. and yet you've been andrew's rock through thick and thin? >> yes. >> what's it been like watching him go through this withering >> so sad.utiny?- so sad. we've been there for each other, you know. when i've gone through really bad times in the past, he's -- andrew's always been there. he is exceptionally kind. and he is a very seriously good grandfather. he's very steadfast for the girls. we are women that also have had to see an extraordinary demise of a very strong man. and that has been really difficult to see. >> in many ways you are an exemplary example of coparenting, cograndparenting, as divorcees? >> i know. it is extraordinary, isn't it? we do say "we're divorced" to each other. >> reporter: the duchess says the scandal surrounding the

prince brought her closer to the queen. >> we were his bookends the last three years. the most incredible thing about her majesty was that she listened. she really was my idol. beatrice and eugenie and i think of it like a hand on your back. that it's always there for support. and she was just like that. >> the corgis came to live with you? >> we go out, and then they bark into the air. i think the queen's with me when they do. >> what do you hope for the reign of king charles? >> i've always adored him all my life. i believe that he is an extraordinary person. >> reporter: her latest novel coming on the heels of another royal book, prince harry's memoir "spare," getting backlash three years after he and meghan stepped down as senior royals. what do you think about where they are? >> what i'm thrilled about is seeing harry so happy. he's got his lovely wife, and he's got beautiful children. and i'm thrilled for him for

that. he deserves to be loved like that. >> reporter: the duchess is focused on sharing her writing with the world. >> so great to meet you. >> this is your bookstore? >> yes, it is. >> you're so incredible. >> reporter: we met at annabelle's book club, l.a. and 16-year-old annabelle chang, instagram influencer turned bookstore owner, is a huge fan. >> how on earth have you done this? >> started selling books online and at popup events and seeing how excited people were. i wanted to make it more permanent. >> reporter: the two bonding over their mutual love of reading. >> what's your favorite author, apart from me, of course? >> yes, you're favorite. >> thank you. >> reporter: the duchess drawing daily inspiration from her lifelong idol. >> one of the quotes the queen used to say to me, "the world needs that kindness now more than ever. the kindness and consideration for others that disarms malice and allows us to get on with one another with respect and affection." >> what goes through your mind

when you read that? >> those words are very strong. i said, "what would you like me to do? i will always uphold your values which i think is very important." "more than ever, keep writing," she said. >> writing is a royal performance? a royal command? >> it is. i like to thinkthat. >> and her new book, "a most intriguing lady," is on sale today. up next, scouts honor? why a new cookie craze has the girl scouts sick to their stomach. type 2 diabetes? discover the ozempic® tri-zone. in my ozempic® tri-zone, i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. and you may lose weight. adults lost up to 14 pounds.

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finally tonight, the run on the raspberry rally. girl scout cookie season is upon us, and a new treat has joined the thin mints and samoas. in fact, demand for the raspberry-flavored chocolate-covered edition has gotten so serious that out of stock boxes are selling on resale websites for up to five times their price. a reminder on behalf of the scouts, those cookies are for a good cause, not for a good profit. i'll be signing up immediately. that's "nightline." watch all our full episodes on hulu. see you back here same but do they really?