North Texans stuck in Puerto Vallarta begin making their way home

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico - Several Texas residents who were stranded in Puerto Vallarta after cartel violence broke out have made their way back to the Lone Star State.

Stranded traveler returns home

What we know:

FOX 4's Alex Boyer interviewed six Texans on Tuesday morning who were stuck in Puerto Vallarta after cartel violence broke out in the vacation spot. Later that day, at least one of them made their way home.

26-year-old Madison Witzig is back in Corpus Christi after getting an open seat on a Southwest Airlines flight to Houston on Tuesday afternoon. Her husband drove five hours from Houston to pick her up from the airport.

For now, the other five members of her party are still stuck in Mexico, waiting to get their flights back home to Texas. 

Witzig's mother, Judy, told Boyer she was able to get an American Airlines flight back to Dallas on Thursday afternoon after previously being told the earliest the airline could return her to the U.S. was on Sunday.

What they're saying:

Witzig said it took until the plane was in the air to feel relief.

"I got onto the plane and the pilot comes on, and he says that they have reached maximum altitude," Witzig told Boyer. "That's when I just felt my shoulder just completely drop and just complete relaxation."

"Waking up, I told my husband, Joey, I said, "Can you pinch me?" Because I don't feel like I'm really in bed in my bed," she continued.

A paradise turned upside down

The backstory:

Just yesterday, Witzig and her family had no idea when they'd be able to leave Mexico thanks to cartel violence that erupted following the killing of their leader, "El Mencho".

"We witnessed a war zone, basically, from our whale-watching tour," Judy Witzig told FOX 4's Alex Boyer. The group was on a boat when the violence broke out on shore.

"We've walked down to the guard at the gate at the entrance a couple of times, and they told us it wasn't safe to leave, so they've advised that we stay put," Shannon Bertrand, another stranded traveler, said.

Air travel from Puerto Vallarta airport resumed on Tuesday, but the group was previously unable to book a new flight home due to the overwhelming number of travelers trying to do the same.

Killing of "El Mencho"

On Sunday morning, Mexican army units attempted to capture Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as El Mencho, alive in the western state of Jalisco.

He was shot during the raid, and died on the way to a hospital.

U.S. leaders had offered a $15 million reward for El Mencho's arrest. The White House says they provided intelligence support as part of Mexico's operation.

Three additional cartel members were killed, three were wounded, and two were arrested, according to White House officials.

The killing sparked widespread violence across Puerto Vallarta, resulting in many U.S. citizens getting stranded in Mexico.

What you can do:

Mario Duarte, the president and CEO of veteran-led Project Dynamo, says his group is helping get Americans home safely, and shared this advice for anyone stuck in a similar situation.

"It's still fluid, and we're still advising our American citizens to be careful, to remain indoors as much as possible," Duarte told FOX 4.

"Keep your documents and medicine. You know, readily available and in a go bag," Duarte continued. "Just to grab it in case you need to, you know, quickly run out of some place or whatever or run to the airport or the nearest embassy."