Texas
Nonprofit at Texas State University works to identify unknown remains along Texas-Mexico border
MAVERICK COUNTY, Texas – The journey of crossing the Texas-Mexico border can be a deadly one.
Over the last decade, hundreds of people have been found dead in Maverick County. Many of them would remain unidentified without the help of a Texas State University nonprofit.
Operation Identification identifies and repatriates human remains found at the southern border. The nonprofit hopes to provide closure to families, at no cost to them, who aren’t sure if their loved one is missing or deceased.
The nonprofit has identified nearly 200 people with Texas State University’s Postdoctoral Scholar, Victoria Swenson, partially leading the efforts when the group travels to border towns. The program’s director is Dr. Kate Spradley.
“Normally, we deal with skeletal remains to develop a biological profile,” Swenson said.
KSAT met Swenson and her team in Maverick County, a county where dozens of migrants attempt to cross the border. Many of the border deaths Operation Identification works on are from heat-related illnesses and drownings across several border towns.
When in Maverick County, the nonprofit works with Amerika Garcia’s volunteer organization: Border Vigil – Eagle Pass.
“Climate change, crime, drug violence are pushing people for survival, and their options become more and more limited,” Garcia said.
Border Vigil’s mission is to highlight the number of deaths across the Rio Grande and provide information to the public about what is happening in border towns.
“They will do anything for hope,” Garcia said. “Unfortunately, that means crossing in the hottest times of day, in the hottest part of the year and in dangerous places, like along the Rio Grande. We actually put up a cross memorial here in Eagle Pass in Shelby Park.”
Texas State anthropologists said newly found remains of unknown individuals could be linked back several years. To speed up the identification process, Operation Identification added a new approach in 2024.
“We’ve kind of switched gears to include fingerprinting and DNA sampling of more recently deceased,” Swenson said. “Fingerprints are the quickest, easiest way to identify people. When we get a fingerprint ID, it comes back with a report of who they are, where they’re from, birth date.”
While fingerprinting is convenient, results do not always come back with a match to a person.
There are also times when natural body decomposition prevents the ability to take fingerprints. In those cases, Operation Identification can bring remains back to Texas State University in San Marcos for a more in-depth identification process.
More related coverage on KSAT:
Copyright 2024 by KSAT – All rights reserved.
“Radical Islamist terrorist groups are anti-American, and the infiltration of these dangerous individuals into Texas must be stopped,” said Texas A-G regarding terrorist org. CAIR.
Air traffic controllers lost communication for about 10 minutes with a small Mexican Navy plane carrying a young medical patient and seven others before it crashed off the Texas coast, killing at least five people, Mexico’s president said Tuesday.
Authorities initially believed the plane had landed safely at its destination in Galveston, near Houston, before learning it had gone down Monday afternoon, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. A search-and-resuce operation in waters near Galveston pulled two survivors from the plane’s wreckage, Mexico’s Navy said, while one remained missing.
Four of the eight people aboard were Navy officers and four were civilians, including a child, Mexico’s Navy said. Two of the passengers were affiliated with a nonprofit that helps transport Mexican children with severe burns to a hospital in Galveston.
“My condolences to the families of the sailors who unfortunately died in this accident and to the people who were traveling on board,” Sheinbaum said in her morning press briefing, without elaborating on a possible cause. “What happened is very tragic.”
U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Luke Baker said at least five aboard had died but did not identify which passengers.
The plane crashed Monday afternoon in a bay near the base of the causeway connecting Galveston Island to the mainland. Emergency responders rushed to the scene near the popular beach destination about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Houston.
Sky Decker, a professional yacht captain who lives about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the crash site, said he jumped in his boat to see if he could help. He picked up two police officers who guided him through thick fog to a nearly submerged plane. Decker jumped into the water and found a badly injured woman trapped beneath chairs and other debris.
“I couldn’t believe. She had maybe 3 inches of air gap to breathe in,” he said. “And there was jet fuel in there mixed with the water, fumes real bad. She was really fighting for her life.”
He said he also pulled out a man seated in front of her who had already died. Both were wearing civilian clothes.
It’s not immediately clear if weather was a factor. The area has been experiencing foggy conditions over the past few days, according to Cameron Batiste, a National Weather Service meteorologist. He said that at about 2:30 p.m. Monday a fog came in that had about a half-mile visibility.
Mexico’s Navy said the plane was helping with a medical mission in coordination with the Michou and Mau Foundation. In a social media post, the foundation said: “We express our deepest solidarity with the families in light of these events. We share their grief with respect and compassion, honoring their memory and reaffirming our commitment to providing humane, sensitive, and dignified care to children with burns.”
Teams from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were at the crash site Monday, the Texas Department of Public Safety said, and a spokesperson for the NTSB said the agency was gathering information about the crash. The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office said officials from its dive team, crime scene unit, drone unit and patrol responded the crash.
A small Mexican Navy plane transporting a 1-year-old medical patient along with seven others crashed Monday near Galveston, killing at least two people, officials said.
Emergency officials rescued four people and were searching for two that were inside the aircraft, Mexico’s Navy said in a statement to The Associated Press. Four of the people aboard were Navy officers and four were civilians, according to the Navy. It was not immediately clear which ones were missing and which had been killed.
Two of the people aboard were members from the Michou and Mau Foundation, which is a nonprofit that provides aid to Mexican children who have suffered severe burns.
The crash took place Monday near the base of a causeway near Galveston, along the Texas coast about 50 miles southeast of Houston.
Mexico’s Navy said in a statement that the plane was helping with a medical mission and had an “accident.” It promised to investigate the cause of the crash.
The Navy is helping local authorities with the search and rescue operation, it said in a post on the social media platform X.
Teams from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have arrived at the scene of the crash, the Texas Department of Public Safety said on X.
The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office said officials from its dive team, crime scene unit, drone unit and patrol were responding to the crash.
“The incident remains under investigation, and additional information will be released as it becomes available,” the sheriff’s office said in a post on Facebook, adding that the public should avoid the area so emergency responders can work safely.
Galveston is an island that is a popular beach destination.
It’s not immediately clear if weather was a factor. However, the area has been experiencing foggy conditions over the past few days, according to Cameron Batiste, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
He said that at about 2:30 p.m. Monday a fog came in that had about a half-mile visibility. The foggy conditions are expected to persist through Tuesday morning.
Colorado4 minutes ago
Colorado mom accused of killing 2 kids, fleeing to UK arrives back in US to face murder charges: ‘Momentous day’
Connecticut10 minutes ago
At least four injured after multi-vehicle accident involving bus in Bridgeport, per police
Delaware16 minutes ago
GOVERNOR MEYER ORDERS LOWERING OF FLAGS FOR STATE TROOPER KILLED IN DMV SHOOTING
Florida22 minutes ago
Florida man charged in racially motivated attack plot
Georgia28 minutes ago
Georgia high school student tased by officer speaks out
Florida1 year ago
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Connecticut2 years ago
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
Oregon2 years ago
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Virginia1 year ago
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Education2 years ago
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
News5 hours ago
A 3-D Look Inside Trump’s Revamped Oval Office
Politics6 hours ago
Trump admin sues Illinois Gov. Pritzker over laws shielding migrants from courthouse arrests
World7 hours ago
Europeans show solidarity with Denmark after Trump’s Greenland threat
News8 hours ago
Explosion at a Pennsylvania nursing home kills at least 2, governor says
Videos16 hours ago
What does Christmas look like for Ukraine? | Global News Podcast
-
Iowa1 week agoAddy Brown motivated to step up in Audi Crooks’ absence vs. UNI
-
Maine1 week agoElementary-aged student killed in school bus crash in southern Maine
-
Maryland1 week agoFrigid temperatures to start the week in Maryland
-
New Mexico1 week agoFamily clarifies why they believe missing New Mexico man is dead
-
South Dakota1 week agoNature: Snow in South Dakota
-
Detroit, MI1 week ago‘Love being a pedo’: Metro Detroit doctor, attorney, therapist accused in web of child porn chats
-
Health1 week ago‘Aggressive’ new flu variant sweeps globe as doctors warn of severe symptoms
-
Maine1 week agoFamily in Maine host food pantry for deer | Hand Off