Authorities have verified that most of the people found dead inside a shipping container being moved by rail in Texas this week were illegal migrants.
On Monday afternoon, six bodies were located in a Union Pacific boxcar during an inspection at a rail yard in Laredo.
First responders arrived and pronounced all six deceased, Fox 4 reports.
Investigators have now identified five of the victims and their countries of origin as follows: two Honduran males, ages 14 and 24; two Mexican males, ages 45 and 56; one Mexican female, age 29.
The identity of the sixth has not yet been disclosed.
Webb County Medical Examiner Dr. Corinne Stern announced that hyperthermia (elevated body temperature) was likely the cause of death for all six.
Local authorities are working with the consulates of Mexico and Honduras to notify next of kin.
Also on Monday afternoon, the body of a deceased male was discovered near train tracks in South Bexar County, Texas.
Authorities believe the man was part of the group found in Laredo but that they had become separated when the train split in San Antonio.
A woman called the San Antonio Police Department on Saturday to notify them that her sister was in a railcar that was “overheating” but officers did not find anything at the time.
The deceased male has not been publicly identified, but Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar indicated he was carrying a Mexican voter registration card.
The Department of Homeland Security recently deployed 200 U.S. Border Patrol agents from across the country to support enforcement efforts in Laredo Sector, where illegal crossings for March and April reportedly spiked more than 50% over the prior two months, and are continuing to climb.
One Response
Sad.