Category Archives: Human Rights, Migrant Death

Talking about the project itself

Day 5: A Bittersweet Ending

January 8, 2026Community, Environment, Human Rights, Migrant DeathMakenna Mizell

It was strange to wake up this morning knowing that it would be the last day in Falfurrias with Don and Ray and everyone, and our last day out in the brush. There was a level of anticipation there, an excitement and motivation to get out there and make the final day count. At the same time, there was a level of sadness I felt about the trip coming to an end. About not having a tomorrow to wake up and do it all again.

Those thoughts stayed with me as we got ready for the morning, moving quietly and still half-asleep, before Don and Ray arrived at the hotel to pick us up and take us to breakfast.

We stopped at Rebecca’s, a local breakfast spot in town that serves homemade breakfast tacos and more. It was nice to just sit in this moment together, crowded around three tables that had been pushed into one, enjoying our eggs, waffles, and tacos while we talked in that easy, almost familiar way that we had developed over the course of the week.

Rebecca’s Restaurant in Falfurrias, Texas

The pause helped quiet some of the lingering thoughts that I had been carrying about the day ahead. For a little while, there was nothing to focus on or worry about except the food in front of us and the people beside me. It felt grounding to sit with the people I had spent the past week working alongside—to share a meal, to laugh, and to enjoy a brief moment of reprieve before heading back out and into the brush for our final day.

– Makenna

As we headed to the last ranch of the trip, we all felt a quiet sadness knowing it would be our final day of searching. We were visiting a new ranch where two skulls were previously found, so our focus would be searching for additional remains belonging to these individuals, similar to what we did on day 3. Around 3 years ago, Don had also received a 911 call about a missing person in the area, who has yet to be found. So we had two goals for today: first, to search for skeletal remains that may be connected to the two skulls previously found, and second, search for the missing person.

We began the day splitting into two groups and searching along each side of a dirt road. We weaved in and out of mottes, checking in tall grasses, and dirt piles along the way. We found a couple of artifacts and a few more animal bones before we got a transmission from Melissa over our walkie-talkies. She reported finding a fairly large layup with recent looking artifacts. After finishing our current search, we headed over to that area, with Melissa and Danny leading the way.

Nonhuman bone in a motte — Nonhuman bone in the middle of a motte

We observed the layup and were shocked by how recent it seemed. There were multiple black trash bags with holes stretched out for a head and arms to fit through. The quality and condition of the items suggested this was a high-traffic area. Next, Don had us spread out again in teams and search either side of the dirt road nearby to try to estimate what direction the migrants may have travelled to reach this area. Various artifacts were found on either side of the road, including backpacks, clothing, and discarded food and drink containers. We found a backpack, and as we began carefully unzipping and cutting open pockets, a small scorpion ran across the fabric. Moments like these are why we are so cautious when searching through clothing and other items, as there are dangers lurking and hiding almost everywhere. While we were able to take extra caution while out in the filed, migrants may not have that same luxury as they lie down to rest in a motte and open their bags at a later time. This furthered my realization of just how dangerous the entire journey is. Even during the times for rest and recovery, there are scorpions, snakes, spiders, thorns, cacti, and other predators nearby.

Trash bags within a large layup — Melissa and Don are searching through black trash bags in a layup

Backpack with its contents laid out — Backpack with its contents, including Pedialyte, isopropyl alcohol, and Emergen-C packets

Just as we were finishing our search in that area, Reed transmitted that he found an Android smartphone. We were all pretty surprised about this, as we had not expected at all to find a phone, especially a smartphone. Many of us initially wondered if it was a burner phone or a flip phone. However, learning that it was a newer smartphone was a surprise, a valuable item to either lose or leave behind. It was pretty beat up, and the screen was cracked, but Don said he was pretty sure he could still figure out who it belonged to through the SIM card or serial number.

Android phone on the ground — An Android phone with a cracked phone case and screen

It was another hot, long morning of surprises. We all remained flexible when moving around to different search areas and we solidified the fact that we were searching in a high-traffic area. Afterwards we had a lunch break to refuel for the second half of our day searching within the brush.

– Amanda

Because the layup that we found had newer artifacts and there had been recoveries in the area, our next goal was to search going north. If we continued to find artifacts from a similar time period, this could indicate how recent the pathway is and the general direction that it is moving. To do this, we conducted systematic line searches for the rest of the day.

A sweatshirt in a clearing of trees in the field.

Line searches are utilized as a way to search an open space to thoroughly clear an area. Spacing, direction, and pacing are incredibly important during these searches, especially when sweeping an area where the ground is obscured by dense grass and bushes. While conducting the line search, we were able to sweep through high, thick grass and some mottes that were along our route north, where we found few items, including monster energy cans, water jugs, and a sweatshirt. However, they were older than the artifacts found in the lay up.

Some of the Beyond Borders 2026 team conducting a line search.

This search reminded me of the disorienting nature of being out on these ranches. Even with landmarks and compasses, it is incredibly easy to lose track of yourself in the brush. As I led the line search, I was incredibly lucky to have the team with me to ensure that we conducted a thorough search and stayed on track. I cannot imagine having to traverse this terrain without this support. As this was our last day in the field, I was able to reflect back on our previous searches and why we are here. No matter how difficult we may find the terrain, we had the opportunity to assist Don and Ray in their efforts to recover individuals who deserve to be returned to their family and what we were traversing is only a fraction of what migrants encounter as they cross the border.

–Lilly

After a long, hot, emotional week of searching, we met up with the rest of the crew at the ranch to have one last meal together as a team. It was joyful but bittersweet, reminiscing about the trip and what we learned while getting to know each other better, all while enjoying Ray’s delicious burgers. As I sat there with everyone—some I met only a few months ago and some just this week—I truly felt at home. Besides working together under extremely strenuous conditions, we were bonded by a shared commitment to honesty. Seeing how vulnerable Don, Ray, Reed, and Melissa were being with us, sharing stories about their personal lives, military experience, and search/recovery work, we couldn’t help but reciprocate. In addition to our experiences in the brush, these stories are what I will carry with me when I leave Falfurrias.

I will never forget those I’ve met during this trip and what they taught me, nor will I forget those whose paths we crossed and the evidence left by their efforts to achieve a reality in which I live each and every day. I hope that by sharing these stories and experiences with those outside of the Texas Borderlands, I will be able generate conversations that force people to think critically about the individuals they seek to dehumanize and the motivations behind an individual’s decision to migrate.

– Peytin

The Beyond Borders 2026 Team poses under the night sky for the last time — The Beyond Border 2026 Team after a final meal together

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read our blog and those who supported and donated the Beyond Borders Team during our 2026 trip.

In the words of our new friend, “thank you much” to Deputy Sheriff Don White and Paramedic Ray Gregory for keeping us safe and guiding our journeys in this unfamiliar territory. Thank you to Dr. Reed Mckinney and Melissa Schmalhorst for joining us this year and sharing your expertise with us. We thoroughly enjoyed the laughs, lessons, and stories shared by each of you on this trip. To Socks, Oakley, and Danny, thank you for the smiles, pets, and distractions as we worked in this physically and emotionally challenging atmosphere.

Thank you to Dr. Latham and Dr. Eriksen for making this trip possible and for giving us this unique and memorable opportunity.

Thank you to the city of Falfurrias, Texas for embracing us and our work.

–Makenna, Lilly, Amanda, and Peytin

We will continue to post daily over the next week!

The Beyond Border 2026 Team posing in front of the brush with Melissa and Danny of Mounted Search and Rescue — The Beyond Borders Team with Melissa and Danny of Mounted Search and Rescue

Don and Ray pose for a selfie together — Don and Ray

Reed holds up a partial deer skull with antlers to his head, mimicking a deer — Reed with a partial deer skull and antlers he found

Oakley the dog of Mounted Search and Rescue standing in a road — Oakley of Mounted Search and Rescue

Day 4: Looking Beyond a Border

January 7, 2026Community, Environment, General, Human Rights, Migrant Death, ReflectionsLilly Bucher

Similarly to yesterday we had a later start than we did the first work day. As soon as we walked out of our hotel room this morning, we were hit with a dense fog so thick we could barely see the adjacent hotel rooms. Even the entrance of the hotel wasn’t visible as we made our way to breakfast. Where we would usually discuss what ranch we were going to go to that day and the circumstances surrounding the search, we were informed of a change in our typical day. Because of the changing ranch availability, there was an opportunity to begin our day by visiting the border and searching in the afternoon. So after breakfast, we went to pick up Reed and then we began the hour and a half drive south.

Fog obscuring the drive to the border. — Fog obscuring the drive to the border, blocking the view of ranches that are next to the highway.

As we drove, I examined the ranches we had passed on the highway for the past three days and thought about the constant barriers that exist to individuals who are trying to traverse these massive expanses of land. Because the land is mostly flat, coyotes will lead migrant groups through easily identifiable structures such as power lines, gas lines, and wind mills. On a perfectly clear day (as our trip has been thus far) being able to locate these identifiers was still extremely difficult unless you were very close and not under the brush cover. Looking out onto the highway and the ranches, where we could only see about 50 feet in front of us because of the fog, I couldn’t help but reflect on the shifting circumstances migrants face while walking. We are lucky that we have Don and Ray who know the terrain and can guide us when we feel lost (which I do most of the time) but migrants who are left behind by their group don’t have anyone to tell them what to look for. And if they cannot return to the path their group was taking, they may wonder indefinitely.

The fence located at the southern US-Mexico border.

Having this on my mind when we arrived at the border provided a more introspective experience than I was expecting. Unlike last year, when we arrived there was no one at the gate. We parked and were able to walk all the way up the hill that the gate and fence sits on to look through. While we were able to see Mexico, the other side of the fence we were looking to was still US territory, with the actual border being about a mile away. As we looked, a border patrol agent started to drive towards us. We worried that we would be told to leave or questioned about why we were there, but he told us that since traffic over that area of the border had been very slow, we could walk to another gate in the distance for a chance to see the Rio Grande river. We headed to the other gate on the dirt road that runs along the fence, but we couldn’t see the river. However, we could see the incredibly tall and dense vegetation that lay on the other side of the fence.

This was the beginning of a migrants journey in the US, and seeing how hostile it is from the get go was hard to imagine. In our searches, where we are equipped for dealing with the vegetation, the heat, the vastness of the land, and the chance of changing weather conditions, migrants are not. We see the proof of their adaptability in the artifacts we find on the ranches and at the wall itself. This is another moment in our trip that I found myself affected by the evidence of trauma and resilience migrants face in their journey.

Thorny trees in the field. — Thorny trees in the field, almost obscuring team members from view.

While we were at the border, we had to continue the tradition of stopping at Delia’s for fresh tamales. We needed to be back at the ranch to meet the rest of the team at noon, so with our tamales, we headed back to Falfurrias. The ranch we were going to search had hunters coming in at 3:30 pm, so as soon as we got back to Don, Ray, and Melissa, we headed out. Don brought us to an area where he had searched the base of a hill, but had not been able to check the hill itself. There had been previous recoveries to the south and to the east, so it was important to clear this middle section of land.

The terrain was immensely different from what we have covered thus far, with the landscape being hilly while still being covered in sand. The brush was dense and thorny and any flat land that we encountered was covered in dense high grass. We conducted an unsystematic search of the hill, as the vegetation was too thick to effectively get through in a line search. So today it was crucial to keep an eye on at least one member of the team while thoroughly searching. We were able to systemically line search the open areas to assess the presence of artifacts. There were a few items found along our search, proving that this had been an active pathway. We reached the time we were allotted to search this ranch, and returned to the ranch Don, Ray, Reed, and Melissa were staying on to divvy out our tamale haul and replenish our energy.

An older can found in the field. — An older aluminum can found in the field.

We finished searching earlier in the day, which gave us time to visit the cemetery that started it all. Sacred Heart Burial Park was the very first place UIndy was able to work at in Falfurrias. Dr. Latham showed us each place where UIndy had excavated and took the time to explain the circumstances surrounding each excavation. We started by visiting the grave of Wilmer, a migrant who was potentially identified. We put flowers on his grave and gave a moment of silence and remembrance to the individuals found in the earlier excavations. Each grave is decorated with things that that person enjoyed in life, bright and beautiful flowers, and a multitude of arches and decorations to show how loved each individual is. Even though I had visited the cemetery before, it was still an experience that elicited strong emotions in me. Knowing that UIndy was brought here because people cared so much about the migrants who died here and seeing this community that cares so much for their loved ones is beautiful and puts our shared and differing experiences into perspective.

After the visit to the cemetery, we returned to the hotel to clean up from the hot day and get ready for our evening plans. Tonight, we were able to take out Don’s drone. He taught us how to fly it and how to spot different animals in the brush using infrared vision. Bonding with the whole team, where we could share stories and discuss our lives in an informal setting was memorable and was a great bonding experience.

Beyond Borders 2026 team at the end of day 4. From left to right, Amanda, Peytin, Makenna, Lilly, Amandine, Krista, and Reed.

Today was an unexpectedly busy day. Not only were we able to search, we also went to places where we were able to reflect more on the work that we traveled here to assist with and the individuals that we are doing it for. All of our experiences from this trip and the people I have met have made this field season incredibly unique and this has been a great group of people to work with. Our experiences have been incredibly memorable so far, and I have learned a lot from them. I will carry these reflections with me as we continue into our last day and beyond as we return to Indy.

–Lilly

Day 3: Lost Within the Brush

January 6, 2026Environment, General, Human Rights, Migrant Death, ReflectionsAmanda Walker

We slept in a bit later than yesterday, got ready, ate breakfast, and then loaded up in the car. Today, we planned to head to a new ranch where remains had previously been found. We began the day knowing it would be different than the previous two; we would be searching an area more diligently, staying eagle-eyed when looking for bones, fragments, or subtle clues. We prepared physically and mentally with extra water, a focused mindset, and confidence as we leaned into the uncertainties the day ahead might bring.

The drive to the ranch was long. It took nearly 45 minutes from entering the gate to reach the coordinates where the remains were located in the past. This travel time puts into perspective the sheer size of these ranches; some are a couple of hundred acres in size, others thousands, and some are even hundreds of thousands of acres. It emphasizes how easily something or someone could be missed entirely. After the long drive, we unloaded our gear, reviewed our search plan, and then lined up to begin searching through a massive motte.

Lilly and Reed searching in a motte — Lilly and Reed searching through a motte

This motte was unlike the others we have searched through. The underbrush was thick with grasses that had grown tall during last year’s unusually wet spring, and had died during the winter drought. The grasses were still rooted in the ground, but blown over and tangled together. However, to conduct the thorough search we aimed for, it was crucial to pull away the dense underbrush to reveal the sandy soil underneath to check for any signs of bones.

Large motte with dense brush — Large motte showcasing dense brush and trees

Another challenge we faced was the variation in taphonomy of the bones compared to what we have seen previously. Many of the animal bones have been sun-bleached, often presenting as bright-white, making them relatively easy to spot. However, if a bone is even partially buried (covered by blowing sand or pushed into the soft sand over time), it may be more brown in color and blend in with the soil. Searching through these mottes is especially crucial, as Don has taught us that migrants will often find a safe, shaded area to lie down and rest for a period of time. These areas often contain artifacts, which are items left behind during a migrant’s journey. Occasionally, an artifact will contain a “best by” or expiration date, which can provide context as to how long it has been there. Another technique I learned is that to tell the age of a plastic bottle, it can be stepped on. If the plastic crumbles or breaks apart, it is likely older; if it bounces back into shape, it is more recent.

Amanda inspecting a can for an expiration date

Amanda stepping on bottle to check how old it is — Amanda stepping on a water jug to estimate how long it may have been there

We conducted line searches through thorny cacti, dense brush, and trees with branches poking in all directions. We were also spread farther apart, which made it hard to see everyone and make sure we were maintaining the same direction and pace. It was a true test of what we are learning in the Human Biology program at UIndy. Still, communication remained strong, and we searched carefully while only being poked by a few cacti. Sometimes, the mottes seemed to go on forever and only got thicker as we went in. My internal compass spun, and I was surprised by how easy it was to feel lost within the brush. However, it is just as easy to feel disoriented when viewing how vast the ranches are. Visibility stretches for miles, yet as you walk, it feels like you are making no progress at all.

The Beyond Borders 2026 Team lined up to begin conducting a line search — The 2026 Beyond Borders team lined up before conducting a line search

The contrast made me reflect on the length and difficulty of the journey migrants endure to walk through these ranches; the dangers, the harsh environment, and the unknown about what lies ahead. Especially after seeing evidence of life within the dense brush, I can’t help but think about those who were here prior. The heaviness of not knowing what may be ahead is hard, but it empowers you to keep moving because finding any artifact or bones is important when recognizing who walked this path before us.

Tuna Creations packet resting on underbrush — Tuna Creations packet laying on underbrush

As we packed up for the day, it again took 45 minutes to exit the ranch. I sat in air-conditioning, looking forward to a warm meal, a shower, and a full night’s sleep. It had been a long, physically demanding day, but I had proper clothing, water, food, and a team beside me. I can’t fully imagine what it must feel like to walk these same areas while exhausted, exposed, and without those supports. Holding that reality with me, I leave today tired, humbled, and more aware of why this work matters. Tomorrow, we return to the brush with the same care, attention, and commitment to keep searching and showing up to land connected to many lives.

The Beyond Borders 2026 Team on Day 3 — The 2026 Beyond Borders Team on Day 3

Dog Socks after a long day of hard work — Socks after a long day of work

Amanda

Category Archives: Human Rights, Migrant Death

Day 5: A Bittersweet Ending

Day 4: Looking Beyond a Border

Day 3: Lost Within the Brush

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