LAREDO, Texas - 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.
Migrants found dead in boxcar
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The victims, discovered Monday evening at the Union Pacific Railyard in North Laredo, include five males and one female. Investigators believe the group originated from Mexico and Honduras, according to a statement from Dr. Corinne Stern, the Webb County Medical Examiner.
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.
Among those identified are a 14-year-old boy and a 24-year-old man, both from Honduras. The other identified victims are from Mexico: a 29-year-old woman, a 45-year-old man, and a 56-year-old man. The identity of the sixth person has not yet been confirmed.
Initial medical examinations determined the female victim died of hyperthermia. While formal exams for the remaining five individuals are pending completion Tuesday, Stern said it is highly probable that heat exhaustion was the cause of death for the entire group.
The Medical Examiner’s Office is coordinating with the Mexican Consulate to notify next of kin and facilitate the repatriation of the bodies.
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Laredo, located on the U.S.-Mexico border, is a major hub for rail and truck traffic, and has frequently been the site of tragedies involving migrants attempting to travel north in confined, unventilated spaces.
The Source: Information in this article is from the Webb County Medical Examiner's Office.