Forensic Scientists Identify Migrant Remains in Texas
Mass graves of border-crossers who died of dehydration or exhaustion are being exhumed to put names on anonymous case numbers
By Gary Stix
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The influx of migrants across the Mexican border into Texas has overwhelmed the resources of county governments to the point that remains are sometimes placed in mass graves. Top-notch scientists have volunteered to try to identify the remains so that the families can be notified.
The plight of one migrant is chronicled in the June Scientific American in “The Mystery of Case 0425,” by Ananda Rose. Watch this documentary by filmmaker Pilar Timpane—music by Carlos Colón—that vividly demonstrates the plight of migrants in southern Texas—and the work of a forensic scientist trying to identify remains. It’s called Lamento con Alas: Documenting Unidentified Deaths along the Texas–Mexico Border, a documentary directed and edited by filmmaker Pilar Timpane, with music composed by Carlos Colón.
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