Beyond Borders | UIndy Humanitarian Forensic Science Team

A Busy “Rest Day”

May 19, 2022Community, General, SnapshotsIsabel Melhado

Today, we got to sleep in for 30 extra minutes… and we still left the lights off for longer than usual. A slugglish morning was quickly halted by a change of plans. Today emphasized the team motto of “expect the unexpected” as our plans changed within 15 minutes of departure. Instead of our original plan to assist the South Texas Human Rights Center with water stations, we loaded into Sandy and headed for the border. We are sad we won’t be able to see Eddie this trip, but know we will see him the next time the team is in town. Surprisingly, it’s a bout 1.5 hours from Falfurrias to the actual border. A nice long car ride for team bonding and the Texas playlist motivating us through it all. The landscape slowly changed from ranch land to urban civilization. I do have to include that I heard Dr. Latham’s first evil laugh because for the first time in my life, I said the words “I like Texas”.

As billboards and shops changed from English to Spanish, we pulled off the main road to avoid accidentally going into Mexico (if only we brought our passports!). We walked up close and personal to the wall, where we could see ladders and personal effects of those who crossed. In some areas, handprints and slide marks were visible on the metal. The areas where the fencing seems shorter was accompanied by a steep drop on the opposite side and layers of barbed wire. Buildings in Mexico were clearly visible in the distance. We prepared to be interrogated by border patrol as you are not supposed to be that close, so we prepared to play our “tourist students” card as we saw a border patrol vehicle speeding towards us. I think it was the matching outfits, strategically placed cameras, and lighter than average skin tone that signaled to border patrol that we “weren’t a threat”. They sped past us and gave the cordial Texas wave. Not being questioned and chased away was a first for Dr. Latham in her ten years of trips here!

Border Patrol passing by our team — Before

We returned to Sandy to head back to Falfurrias. On the way, we stopped for some lunch. I wish I could send tamales to you as you read this blog because they were absolutely fantastic. My teammates were introduced to aguas frescas and horchata that went right to your heart. I described my pineapple agua fresca as “taking one sip will make you feel like there’s nothing wrong in the world”. Once back in Falfurrias and buried under the weight of our food babies, we were able to relax for a bit to wait for an updated plan. [and by wait, I mean we all took a nap to ease our tamales] We awoke to Don and Dr. Latham at our door ready to bring us for more adventuring.

We visited the Brooks County Department of Corrections to view their newly updated mobile morgue. Don taught us about the impound lot where the morgue was found and said that the vehicles found there were usually a result of drug or human trafficking.

Brooks County Mobile Morgue — Brooks County mobile morgue

We returned to the hotel and passed the time until we met with Don, Ray, and some friends from Texas State to enjoy a cook out together. Don took us on a tour of the ranch and of course, taught us more along the way. This man knows SO much! We are all very thankful to hear any and every piece of knowledge he gives us, even if he gives us some *smart* remarks along the way. On our tour, we spotted a “confidence” course that we decided we had to try. Once we had climbed most of the way, the realization of how high up we were hit hard. I rolled into the net just to have the experience, but we all climbed down. My confidence was less than built up! It was very, very fun though. We continued our tour and learned how migrants may use pipelines and powerlines to guide them on their journeys. Many spots we stopped Don stepped out to look for possible tracks and check if there was any waters left in the water stations from migrants.

We returned to their homebase, and Ray started up the grill. It is always fun to get to unwind and talk to others who have such different experiences from your own. The meal was SO GOOD!!!!! Many laughs and good conversations were shared.

Tomorrow, we plan to get right back to searching. A “day off” was good, but can really make you feel guilty at times because you feel you’re not making any strides towards your goals. It has been a lot of hard work, and we have learned so much. Yet, the differences in the hours we work now versus my last trip in January are prominent and are very much in the back of my mind each day. It is important to keep perspective, though. We are battling Texas heat, attempting to stay as hydrated as possible, and trying to keep everyone safe and healthy. Texas is a more than fair opponent to face. We strive to stay positive and do as much as we can while we are able. All in all, it was a great day with even better people.

Izzy

Ladders on a fence line to prevent damage to the fence

Purposefully Wandering

May 18, 2022Environment, Human Rights, Migrant Death, SnapshotsOlivia Messenger

Day three photo with Ray — Day Three Photo (with Ray)

Olivia petting Dusty, the cat at the hotel — Morning scratches for Dusty

Day three started with a whimper. Or, more like whimpers. Getting out of bed was a challenge. Exhaustion and soreness have sunk in. Dr. Latham wasn’t kidding when she said day three is always the hardest. Although, I have to say this trip’s day three was more challenging than the trip in January. After some mental pep talks and lots of groans and moans from everyone, we went to breakfast to meet up with Don and Ray(!). Dr. Latham, Izzy, and I met Ray on the previous trip, but this was the first meeting for Jordan and Austin. He’s just at sassy as ever, and still a crucial team member of Remote Wildlands Search and Recovery.

Team members searching the brush — Jordan and Austin searching the brush

We headed back to the same area we searched yesterday to continue searching for the missing migrant. We wanted to do our due diligence to cover as much land as possible to try to find him. Not only for our own peace of mind but to be able to tell the family that we’ve done as much as we can to try to find their missing loved one.

Luckily, Ray had his truck, so we didn’t have to test Sandy’s off-road capabilities again (even though she did amazing yesterday). Once we got to our location, we geared up and started our line search. We made sure to carry even more water than yesterday. Not even 30 feet in, I almost stepped on a very angry rattlesnake. Not the way I wanted my day to start, but it could only get better. I think.

During our search, we found some evidence of migrant activity in the area like trash, water bottles, and old clothes. There is no way of knowing if it belongs to our missing person or exactly what time frame it comes from, but it does indicate a possible route migrants are taking. Atypically, the path didn’t follow a direct north/south direction or a landmark like a road, pipeline or powerlines but jumped between the MOTs in a general north(ish) direction.

We covered a lot of ground today (even more than yesterday), but eventually, the heat caught up with us. I was sweating in places I didn’t know I could sweat. Jordan had to cut a chunk of hair that wouldn’t come unstuck from her shirt button. We were constantly eating Jolly Ranchers to try to get a little pep in our step and walking through what I like to call “spiky danger grass” that really liked to stab you. Izzy and Austin ran into a herd of javelinas in a MOT (they very nicely ran away). The physical challanges we faced while only walking part of the day with the proper safety equipment really brings persepctive to what the migrants face on their journey and why so many end up in a distressed situation in the brush.

Team member driving a truck — Izzy driving the Uber to pick everyone up

On the final stretch, Izzy, Jordan, and I made it back to the vehicles first and drove Ray’s ginormous truck to pick everyone else up. After a final bumpy ride, we were reunited with Sandy and ready to get back to the hotel. While it is unfortunate and upsetting that we didn’t find who and what we were looking for, I know we did as much as we could. All we can hope is that he recovered and was able to keep moving to safety.

Olivia

Early Morning Sunrise — Early morning sunrise

Overview of brush — Early morning sunrise

Situational Awareness

May 17, 2022Environment, Human Rights, Migrant DeathJordan Roberson

Day two started bright and early with breakfast at our hotel. We then accompanied Deputy Don White to the southern part of the county to conduct a search. Dr. Latham skillfully maneuvered our rental minivan Sandy off-road. There were times when we weren’t completely sure Sandy would make it, but she did! Don was provided the name and age of a missing person and the coordinates where they were last seen, so we parked as close as we could and walked to that location. Many migrants pass through the ranches following the pipelines that run north. These areas are easy to follow in one direction and are typically cleared of brush for safety and access for employees.

We performed line searches at the location of coordinates and searched the surrounding area since there are many reasons why individuals would not be found at the exact coordinate location. We ended up walking several miles searching. We found some evidence of migrant activity, such as a backpack and a couple of water bottles. However, these items did not seem like they had been left there recently. Items such as these can be important because they could indicate the presence of someone who may have passed through recently or could be in distress nearby.

We saw some snakes (to Olivia’s dismay), lizards, and plenty of bugs. It was hotter today than yesterday, with a temperature feel of 102 degrees. Although we had yesterday to adjust a bit, it was still quite draining. We are getting into a good groove as a team, even though it’s been such a short time. As a team, we set goals yesterday for things to improve upon for today and we did really well! We took lots of breaks and made sure we were all drinking a lot of water and staying safe.

Team members taking a break in the brush

Austin, Olivia, Don, Dr. Latham, and Izzy on one of our breaks

Today was enlightening in many ways. There were a few times when we easily got off track from our decided course or got caught up in groupings of mesquite trees, oak trees and scrubbrush. It is an extremely difficult environment to move through and be in for long periods of time. I cannot even fathom traveling for so long, through this terrain, with limited supplies. Throughout the day there were many circumstances where situational awareness was necessary. This pertains to things like snakes and lizards, trucks, Don and his ability to blend into the environment, and the environment itself.

After our search, we went back to the hotel to eat and clean up. Some of us went to the pool to cool off. Afterward, we had our debriefing meeting and headed out to H-E-B for some more supplies. For dinner, we had Laredo Tacos, and it was delicious. Then we relaxed and rehydrated in our room. Olivia made friends with Dusty the stray cat outside the hotel while we did some laundry.