GRAPHIC: Texas Sheriff’s Deputies Recover Three Dead Migrants 80 Miles from Border

The Brooks County Sheriff’s Office reported the recovery of three deceased migrants this week. The discoveries raised the migrant death toll for this county located about 80 miles inland from the Mexican border to five for 2019.

On February 17, Brooks County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Bianca Mora received information about the discovery of a deceased migrant in the southwest part of the county, according to information provided by sheriff’s office officials. This is a known area for drug smugglers to drop off their human cargo to have them march around the Falfurrias Border Patrol Checkpoint.

Deputy Mora met Border Patrol agents and a justice of the peace at the scene four miles into the ranch where she observed a deceased male lying face down in a wooded area. She reported that the partially disrobed migrant wore a purple plaid shirt, grey boxers, blue jeans with a khaki belt, and black socks. Shoes were found near the body along with a cellphone, a charger, a yellow wallet containing a Mexican identification card, a silver chain with a round pendant, eyeglasses, a wristwatch, and a prescription pill container.

The justice of the peace made the statutory death pronouncement and the local funeral home representatives took custody of the body.

Mora noted the identification card belonged to 57-year-old Daniel Quintero Ochoa. It is not known if that is the identity of the deceased migrant and the face had decomposed beyond recognition from being face-down in the dirt.

The Webb County Medical Examiner’s Office in Laredo, Texas, will provide autopsy services for Brooks County and will attempt to confirm the deceased’s identity.

Three days earlier, Deputy S. Rosas and Training Officer B. Gomez received information about the discovery of skeletal remains on a ranch located near the Border Patrol checkpoint. The deputies met Border Patrol agents at the scene located about 1.2 miles into the ranch, sheriff’s officials reported. The deputies found skeletal remains scattered by animals over a wide area. Deputies found a small quantity of foreign currency at the scene.

Deputy Rosas gathered the skeletal remains and personal items and placed them in paper evidence bags. The remains will be transported to the Webb County Medical Examiner’s office who will attempt to make an identification from the remains.

On February 11, Deputy Robert Castanon received notice of the discovery of the skeletal remains of a third deceased migrant. These remains were located on the same ranch as the February 14 discovery. Castanon met a Border Patrol agent at the scene located about 4.5 miles inside the ranch.

The agent led the deputy to the location of what appears to be a female migrant based upon items of clothing found at the scene. The bones and skull were found in a wide area after being scattered by animals. In addition to the skeletal remains, the deputy found a woman’s silver ring with a pink stone, a white bra, a small blue bag made from cloth, and an assortment of change, the report states.

The deputy gathered the remains and personal effects of the deceased migrant and placed them in evidence bags for transportation to the Webb County Medical Examiner’s Office who will attempt to identify the deceased.

The discovery of the three sets of human remains brings the migrant death toll for this year in this single county located about 80 miles from the Texas border with Mexico to five.

Border Patrol officials also found the body of a migrant who drowned in the All-American Canal in Southern California this week, Breitbart News reported on Thursday.

The International Organization for Migrants’ Missing Migrant Project reports that at least 21 migrants have been found dead in incidents connected to smuggling migrants across the border into the U.S.– 18 of those were found near the Texas border.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for the Breitbart Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.