Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar
BEXAR COUNTY, Texas - The discovery of a seventh body along railroad tracks in Bexar County on Monday has expanded an investigation into a human smuggling operation that left six other migrants dead in a shipping container in Laredo.
Bexar County Sheriff’s officials believe the deceased man was part of the same "load" of people discovered Sunday evening at the Union Pacific Railyard in North Laredo. While investigators have not yet confirmed his identity or age, the man was found in possession of a Mexican voter registration card.
Train box car smuggling
What we know:
The investigation began Saturday afternoon when a relative in another state received a frantic text message from someone inside the shipping container. The sender reported that they were trapped in a boxcar, it was getting "very, very hot," and they were in physical distress.
Authorities estimate temperatures inside such airtight containers can reach between 120 and 150 degrees.
Although the San Antonio Police Department was dispatched following the call, they were sent to a location several miles away and found nothing. It is now believed the person who sent the distress message was among the six victims later found in Laredo.
6 people, including 14-year-old, found dead in Laredo train car likely killed by Texas heat
Authorities have identified five of the six people found dead inside a shipping container at a South Texas rail yard, including a 14-year-old boy, officials said Tuesday.
Sheriff’s officials said the train originated in Del Rio. Electronic sensors, which alert the railroad when a container door is opened, were triggered in Del Rio, Laredo, and San Antonio.
The seventh victim was found after railroad police and federal agents began patrolling the tracks in San Antonio, following up on a sensor alert from the weekend. Investigators believe smugglers, known as "coyotes," may have opened the door from the outside in San Antonio.
Investigators from the Department of Homeland Security have taken over the investigation, according to the Bexar County Sheriff's Office.
What they're saying:
"The fact that a sensor hit from here indicates someone opened that from outside," said a Bexar County spokesperson. "Our belief at this point is that it was most likely smugglers that opened it from the outside at some point discovered this body and then, for whatever reason, dumped him out to avoid accountability".
Six people found dead in train boxcar near Texas-Mexico border
Authorities in South Texas are investigating a grim discovery after six people were found dead Monday inside a rail car near the U.S.-Mexico border.
The train was later split, with half of the cars sent to Houston and the other half to Laredo, where the six bodies were recovered.
Identification and Cause of Death
In Laredo, Webb County Medical Examiner Dr. Corinne Stern has positively identified five of the six victims found Sunday:
- A 14-year-old male from Honduras
- A 24-year-old male from Honduras
- A 29-year-old female from Mexico (confirmed cause of death: hyperthermia)
- A 45-year-old male from Mexico
- A 56-year-old male from Mexico
While formal examinations for the others are pending, Dr. Stern stated it is "highly probable" that hyperthermia was the cause of death for the entire group. The Bexar County Medical Examiner is currently working to determine the cause of death for the seventh victim found Monday.
What you can do:
Authorities are asking anyone with information or who may have seen suspicious activity near the tracks on Saturday to contact the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
The Source: Information in this article is from the Bexar County Sheriff's Office, the Webb County Medical Examiner's Office and the Laredo Police Department.