GRAPHIC EXCLUSIVE: Migrant Woman Found Dead on Texas Ranch 80 Miles from Border

A ranch hand in Brooks County, Texas, found the body of a woman who appears to have died after exposure to the frigid weather conditions. Brooks County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call to recover the body of the suspected migrant last week.

Dispatchers sent Deputy Samuel Rosas to investigate the death on the ranch located west of Falfurrias, Texas, on U.S. Highway 285. The area is a known human smuggling pickup area where smugglers pick up the migrants who manage to successfully circumvent the Falfurrias Border Patrol Checkpoint on U.S. Highway 281.

Deputy Rosas met Border Patrol agents at the gate of the ranch and they escorted him and Justice of the Peace Nora Salinas to the location of the decedent. Rosas observed the body of a woman believed to be a migrant laying on her back approximately 11 miles into the ranch. While he found no identification, he recovered a pink rag, a blue Samsung phone, two violet-pink Puma shoes, $20 pesos, and Mexican coins.

The justice of the peace made the statutory declaration of death and funeral home staff took possession of the woman’s body. The decedent’s remains will be transported to the Webb County Medical Examiner’s Office in Laredo, Texas, for an autopsy. The Medical Examiner will attempt to identify the woman’s remains and make notification to her family.

Temperatures on the morning of February 26 dropped into the 30’s. It is likely the woman had been exposed to the elements for many hours as smugglers drop off the migrants several miles to the south of this location. The migrants are forced to march through the soft sand and dangerous conditions to reach the anticipated pickup spot north of the checkpoint.

The woman was wearing black torn jeans, a blue/pink shirt, and a black hoodie. Her shoes were removed and her pants were unbuttoned.

The woman is the 15th deceased migrant to be found on the ranches of Brooks County — located about 80 miles north of the Texas-Mexico border. This is up from 12 decedents found in January and February of last year. At least 129 migrants died in Brooks County in 2021, according to Brooks County Sheriff Benny Martinez.

“By this time last year, only 12 migrants had been found dead in our county, and this includes from the massive winter storm we experienced in February,” Sheriff Martinez told Breitbart Texas. “Despite a more moderate winter, we are seeing a high death count this  year due to the massive surge in illegal border crossings.”