6 migrants found dead in Laredo train car died of heat stroke
Six migrants found dead inside a rail boxcar in Laredo, Texas, died of severe heat stroke before the train arrived in the city, according to officials. The victims include a 14-year-old.
The victims were discovered Sunday afternoon after the Union Pacific train arrived in Laredo, near the U.S. border with Mexico. Laredo Police Chief Miguel A. Rodriguez Jr. said officers and firefighters responded at 3:21 p.m. after a call came through emergency communications.
“Today our community is still mourning a heartbreaking discovery, six individuals deceased inside a rail boxcar here in Laredo, among them a 14-year-old,” Laredo Mayor Victor Treviño said.
“Based on preliminary medical reports, they did not pass away in our city, but they were discovered here after hours of suffering and eventually dying several hours before arriving from what is commonly known as heat stroke. Severe heat stroke,” Treviño added.
The victims were three people from Honduras and three from Mexico, Chief Rodriguez said. They included one Mexican woman, two Mexican men and three Honduran men.
Officials also said one of the six victims was 14 years old, but they did not specify the child’s nationality.
Rodriguez said the train left Long Beach, California, on May 7 and arrived in Del Rio, Texas, on May 9. Investigators believe the victims were loaded into the railcar in Del Rio before the train continued through the San Antonio, Boerne and Bexar County areas and then south to Laredo.
“This investigation is still very active,” Rodriguez said. “This is a federal investigation. It’s not a state investigation. This investigation does not belong to the Laredo Police Department.”
Rodriguez said Laredo police recognized the case as a human smuggling investigation after finding the bodies and contacted Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers were called to assist.
“As soon as we encountered what we encountered that day, we knew that it was a multijurisdictional investigation,” Rodriguez said. “This investigation looks very promising in bringing those responsible for this happening to justice.”
Officials have not confirmed whether a seventh body found Monday near railroad tracks in San Antonio is connected to the Laredo case. Rodriguez said investigators still need confirmation from federal agents and family members before determining whether that person was tied to the six victims found in the railcar.
“Those responsible for trafficking and placing human beings in such dangerous and inhumane conditions must be held accountable,” Mayor Treviño said. “There can be no tolerance for criminal networks that exploit vulnerable people and put profit over human life.”
“The journey is extremely dangerous and too often it ends in tragedy,” Treviño added. “Smugglers do not care about your safety and will place you in a life-threatening situation without hesitation. No opportunity is worth your life.”
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
