Six people believed to be migrants were found dead inside a shipping container at a Union Pacific rail yard in Laredo, Texas, on Sunday afternoon, May 10, said Jose Baeza, a public information officer for the Laredo Police Department. Federal authorities are treating the deaths as a potential human smuggling event. A Union Pacific employee discovered the bodies, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) announced it is leading the investigation with assistance from the Laredo Police and the Texas Rangers.
Dr. Corinne Stern, the Webb County medical examiner, has completed an autopsy on one of the victims, a 29-year-old woman from Mexico, and ruled her death an accident caused by hyperthermia, or heat stroke. Stern said she believes the five other victims also died of heat stroke but could not make a final determination until their autopsies are complete.
“Based on my examination on the scene and what I know of from the investigation, I really believe they were dead in less than eight hours,” Stern said.
The medical examiner’s office found identification cards and cellphones on the deceased that indicate they may be from Mexico and Honduras. Fingerprints have been taken and shared with U.S. Border Patrol to confirm their identities and nationalities through the Missing Alien Program. The Mexican consulate has been contacted following the identification of the woman.
“This was a horrific scene,” Stern said. She noted that migrant deaths are common in the 10-county region her office covers. “This spring has been busier than it was this time last year,” she added, referencing the number of migrant deaths her office has recorded.
The criminal investigation has not yet established the travel history of the shipping container or why the people inside did not climb out. Laredo is one of the busiest land ports of entry for trade on the U.S.-Mexico border and is a frequent nexus for the illegal movement of people.
Union Pacific said in a statement it was “saddened by this incident” and is cooperating with law enforcement. The rail company has worked with authorities for years to address drug smuggling and trespassing on trains crossing the border, including the installation of inspection portals that scan trains for abnormalities suggesting contraband or stowaways.
Border encounters have dropped significantly since the end of the Biden administration, reaching record low numbers under the second Trump administration. In March, Border Patrol agents in the Laredo sector encountered about 40 people crossing illegally per day, making it the third busiest of the nine sectors along the southern border, according to agency statistics.
The deaths come less than four years after the nation’s deadliest human smuggling attempt on the U.S.-Mexico border. In 2022, 53 migrants died in the back of a sweltering tractor-trailer found in San Antonio. Two smugglers were later sentenced to life in prison for their roles in that case.