Category Archives: Human Rights, Migrant Death

Talking about the project itself

Day 1

Environment, Human Rights, Migrant Death
day 1 group picture with one finger raised and all smiles
Day 1

What an amazing first day in Falfurrias.  We hit the ground running this morning and didn’t stop until the sun went down in the evening.  We were immersed in an aspect of this human rights crisis that was new to us. We transitioned from helping the dead to helping the living.  We began the day by conducting a workshop on forensic archeology that was organized by the South Texas Human Rights Center and the Brooks County Sheriffs Department.  Various law enforcement personnel and Justices of the Peace were in attendance to learn about the strategies we use in the recovery of human remains and to work together to discuss ways to modify those steps to the unique situation in Brooks County.

Eddie standing in the doorway of the south texas human rights centerAfter the workshop we went to the South Texas Human Rights Center (STHRC) to learn more about their mission and ways that we can assist them over the next week.  They strive to save lives, stop the militarization of the border, work for human rights and provide life saving water stations.  Eddie and Sister Pam immediately put us to work.  Justin and Amanda made about 25 new water station barrels that will soon hold jugs of water to prevent dehydration.  They painted the barrels, numbered the lids and drilled holes to allow for air flow to keep the water from getting too hot.

Team members spray painting a "U" with a stencil on a water station barrel outside with multiple barrels in the background

Ryan spent time with Hailey, currently an intern at STHRC, learning the process of taking missing persons reports.  Ryan will be replacing Hailey at the end of the summer and was eager to learn more about his role there.  I went with Eddie to buy water to replenish the water stations already set up by STHRC and to fill the new stations that will be set up later this week.  After each group completed their various tasks we split into two teams and headed out to fill the water stations that were already placed on some of the nearby ranches.  The sun was hot and the humidity was sweltering.  We moved through areas where the brush was thick, the thorns stuck to our clothes and our skin, and the sand made it difficult to walk and to drive. We were hot and thirsty and we had the luxury of driving in a four wheel drive truck. It was hard for me to imagine what my body would feel like after walking for miles in these conditions. Our goal was to inventory the barrels. We counted how many jugs were left in the barrels, if any, and to replenish the barrels with new jugs.

The group and Eddie taking notes and looking into a water station in the brush with a white flag with a red cross in the air

Our role for the past two years has been the exhumation  and analysis of those buried without a name. We were working to return the dead to their families.  Now we find ourselves working to save lives.  We learned a lot from Eddie, Sister Pam and Hailey today.  We accomplished more today than we thought possible and look forward to the new adventures tomorrow has in store for us.

Dirt road in the brush with a wire fence on the left side and trees to the right

~KEL

Dignity of the Dead

Human Rights, Migrant Death, Reflections

In addition to packing, I am also spending the evening reading the “Protocol Development for the Standardization of Identification and Examination of UBC Bodies Along the U.S.-Mexico Border: A Best Practices Manual”.  These suggested best practices were adopted by Texas last week and provide an outline for the recovery and identification of unidentified migrants.  Part of our trip back to Falfurrias includes a training session on forensic archeology for local law enforcement, which is suggested in the manual. “All entities involved in the recovery of UBC remains should introduce basic training programs and instruction on different aspects of evidence collection, including recovery techniques.”

While the manual contains basic information on proper protocol, it is also laden with reminders of the seriousness of the situation. The fact that these counties are “faced with disaster-scale death numbers” that would stretch the resources of any county in the US.  A reminder of the high death toll of this humanitarian crisis.


Burial marker with "unknown person May 16 2008" on it

The manual also puts a face on the crisis by reminding us that a basic human right includes the expectation that every family should have the opportunity to participate in the decision making process for the disposition of the remains of their loved one.  It reminds me that when people ask me “Why do you…”, “Why don’t you…”, or “Maybe you should…” that I should refer them to the internationally held principle that unidentified remains should be available for families to reclaim.  That there are international requirements for the treatment of the dead. That the 1949 Geneva Convention suggests proper and respectful treatment of the dead including honorable interment and the avoidance of cremation unless imperative for reasons of hygiene.  It reminds us that “For families of the missing, grief may be unresolved for long periods of time, when they do not know what has happened to their loved one. With this in mind, nothing should be done to make this process more difficult for a grieving family.” It’s a reminder that you cannot expect a certain level of respect for you and your family during a difficult process like this unless you extend the same basic level of respect for others.

We feel honored to be invited to Brooks County to conduct a training session. Our work to date has been uncovering the past as an effort to identify those buried without a name. This portion of our trip will contribute to the future of identification efforts.  Part of the training will include understanding the difference between human and nonhuman bone. Wish us luck as we carry the bones used for this portion of training (none are human) in a suitcase through the airport! I have all the documentation needed to show them who we are and what we are doing. But it should still be interesting!

~KEL

The Mystery of Case 0425

Human Rights, Migrant Death

As the UIndy team prepares for another field season in South Texas, the June issue of Scientific American will include a story called “The Mystery of Case 0425”.   The story features the collaborative efforts of many agencies in getting the first positive identification of a migrant buried at Sacred Heart Cemetery.  The article is written by our friend Ananda Rose, who visited the cemetery when we were conducting the exhumations there last summer. She highlights the journey of Maria Albertina Iraheta Guardado, a 37 year old Honduran woman who left the violence of her home town in the hopes of providing a future for her six children.  She crossed the border and 2012 and her family has been searching for answers ever since.

The beyond borders team with Brooks County Judge Ramirez while holding up Certificates of Appreciation from Brooks County

In 2013, The UIndy team exhumed a burial that would be called Case 0425.  We exhumed many burials over the past few years, but this one is significant in many ways.  On May 24 the UIndy team was in the processes of uncovering Case 0425 when we were asked to take a break by Brooks County Judge Ramirez.  He presented the five UIndy team members with a Certificate of Appreciation for “outstanding contribution and dedication to help identify our deceased migrants”.  It was unexpected and truly appreciated.  It is an honor that we will never forget, and Case 0425 will forever be a part of that memory.

Metal burial marker stating "Unknown Female Cantina RCH 1162456"

Case 0425 then became the first identification from the Sacred Heart Cemetery, made possible only by a huge collaborative effort.  Maria left Honduras to escape violence and high homicide rates, only to perish on her way to a better life.  She was buried without a name in the cemetery.  Five team members from the University of Indianapolis slowly and meticulously exhumed her remains, which were later transported to Texas State University for analysis.  While there, Dr. Kate Spradley and her student volunteers completed a thorough skeletal analysis, took samples for DNA comparisons and entered her information into the NamUs database with the hope of finding a possible match for the unidentified woman.  With assistance from the Colibrí Center for Human Rights and the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team, Maria was identified and returned home to her parents and children.

Beyond borders members with trowels and other tools reaching into a burial from where they lay on the ground surface.

The UIndy team recently learned that a photo of the team exhuming Case 0425 was the inspiration for the not yet released logo for the Texas State University Operation Identification initiative.  They didn’t know the case number associated with the photo, so choosing the uncovering of Maria (their first identification) was not purposeful on their part.  But we think that somehow it wasn’t random.  The message embodied by the logo is one of collaboration between those striving to identify the migrants that perished in search of a better life, an effort witnessed in the identification of Case 0425 as Maria.  It seems no accident that Maria was the inspiration and will be remembered forever in the representation of the identification initiative.

Sacred Heart entrance sign (white iron in red brick walls on either side of a road entering the area)

For all of these reasons Maria Albertina Iraheta Guardado holds a very special place in our hearts. Her identification gives us hope that she will be the first of hundreds of identifications from Brooks County.  Her memory remains not only in the hearts of her friends and family but also in those that worked diligently to give her name and send her home.

We will be returning to South Texas on June 8 and will be posting daily blogs while in the field. Please visit our blog daily for updates on our work, our progress and our struggles.  We are volunteers working with others to identify hundreds of individuals buried without a name.  Our ability to continue this work is based on your generous donations. Please read about our work here and please share the information to bring awareness to this humanitarian crisis.

~KEL