Smuggling attempt leaves one dead

MARFA Officials are saying the Wednesday death of a man in Big Bend National Park was the result of an attempt to smuggle a group of illegal aliens into the United States, a Customs and Border Protection news release stated.

One member of the group died and two others had to be airlifted to area hospitals, including a 16-year-old girl, the release said.

The group included two boys, ages 12 and 15, and two girls, the 16-year-old and an 18-year-old. All four of the children were from El Salvador. The two adult males were from Mexico. The age and home country of the deceased is unknown.

Big Bend National Park Chief Ranger Mark Spier said it is believed the group all started out together and "the effects of heat and dehydration caused them to get strung out."

As the group walked on, the man who later died became too dehydrated and weak to continue, Spier said. The group left a marker on a creosote bush next to the man, who was alive at the time, in hopes he could later be rescued, Spier said. When rangers found him about four hours later, Spier said he was already dead.

A visitor to the park told a park ranger of the presence of the group near Dugout Wells on the east side of the park. The ranger found the group about 2 p.m. and notified border patrol agents stationed in the park.  A border patrol agent had discovered foot signs of the group Tuesday evening and agents had been tracking the group since Wednesday morning. The temperature in the area was about 100 degrees.

"They were lost... there are some places where you can really drift," Spier said. "They had water, but what they had was not enough for Big Bend in June."

The 16-year-old girl was immediately evacuated by a helicopter of CBP's Air branch from Alpine. The chopper flew the girl to the Marathon football field where they met up with an air ambulance that flew her to a hospital in Odessa, the release stated. Her name was not released.

CBP Public Affairs Officer Bill Brooks said once the 16-year-old girl is released from the hospital, she would go to border patrol custody and be sent to a juvenile detention facility. Brooks said he heard the girl would be released from the hospital today but could not confirm whether she actually was.

"She's in the country illegally so we're going to have to deal with that." Brooks said. "I don't know what the judge will do, but she'll probably be sent back to El Salvador."

Later, one of the adult men also was evacuated via ground ambulance to a waiting air ambulance and then to the Fort Stockton hospital.

The 12-year-old boy had sustained head injuries when he had earlier climbed a windmill tower. He was transported by ambulance to Big Bend Regional Medical Center in Alpine. He was later released. The release said the adult male was taken to the border patrol checkpoint south of Marathon and then taken by ambulance to Big Bend Regional Medical Center. He was later released to border patrol custody.

The other two juveniles were transported to the Alpine border patrol station, the release said.

The adult male in custody was later taken to the hospital for treatment. He too was released.