SAN ANTONIO (AP) — More than a portion of the 53 migrants discovered dead or dying in a tractor-trailer in Texas last week have been identified, the youngest of whom is 13, authorities said Tuesday.
The medical examiner’s office is still waiting for confirmation of the identities of 18 patients more than a week after the nation’s deadliest smuggling attempt, according to officials in Bexar County, where the deserted trailer was found on a back street outside San Antonio.
The age of the victims known so far has been between thirteen and 55 years. One survivor of the trip, a 20-year-old Guatemalan woman, told The Associated Press that smugglers covered the floor of the trailer with what she believes to be powdered chicken broth, allegedly to get rid of the dogs at the checkpoint.
The truck was carrying a total of 73 other people when it was discovered on June 27. Federal prosecutors said 4 other people were arrested in connection with the discovery of the truck, adding the driver.