SAN ANTONIO, Texas
A body located near a railroad crossing in San Antonio on Monday is believed to be linked to an illegal alien smuggling incident that resulted in six deaths over the weekend. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar shared this information during a press conference on Monday, offering further details about the possible connection.
According to reports, the remains of six individuals thought to be illegal immigrants were found on Sunday inside railroad cars belonging to Union Pacific in Laredo, Texas, which is less than a mile from the Mexican border. Given the level of decomposition, authorities suspect that the body had been in the train car for an extended period. They believe the immigrants boarded the train near Spofford, Texas, mistakenly thinking it would take them north into the U.S.
However, the train traveled more than 100 miles from Spofford to Laredo, during a weekend when temperatures surpassed 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The train’s journey originated in California, with Laredo as its endpoint. The family of the presumed illegal immigrant alerted U.S. authorities about their missing relative, officials stated.
On Monday, a special agent from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrived in San Antonio to inspect the area where sensors indicated the rail car with the deceased migrants had opened along Wolf Road in Bexar County before reaching Laredo. HSI officers, along with Union Pacific Railroad Police, conducted searches and discovered a man’s body with Mexican identification, raising the death toll to seven.
Salazar speculated that smugglers might have opened the train car doors, found the dead bodies inside, and left one near the railroad tracks. He mentioned that it was unlikely the doors were opened from within. The body found in San Antonio exhibited similar signs of decomposition as those from Laredo.
Over the weekend, San Antonio police received a call about someone trapped inside a train car, but the call came from another state and led to a location several miles away from where the body was later found. The caller may be associated with one of the six deceased individuals discovered in Laredo. Although police responded, they could not find any suspected illegal immigrants at the given location.
A summary provided by a correspondent noted that two of the six immigrants were from Honduras, while four were from Mexico. Among the deceased was a 14-year-old boy, with the coroner attributing the cause of death to hyperthermia.
