Courtney C. Siegert, Timothy P. Gocha, Kate Spradley, Chloe P. McDaneldForensic Anthropology Center at Texas State, Department of Anthropology, Texas State University

Operation Identification: An Effort Towards Identifying

Migrant Remains from South Texas

BackgroundA humanitarian crisis has developed in South Texas due to

the increase in migrant deaths, with Brooks County at its

epicenter. Although located 75 miles north of the US-Mexico

border (Figure 1), a Border Patrol checkpoint (Figure 2) is

located in Falfurrias, Brooks County where many migrants

perish trying to circumvent the checkpoint. Since 2011 the

Brook County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) has recovered the

remains of 438 suspected migrants, though it is likely this

statistic is a gross underestimate as many missing migrants

have undoubtedly not been discovered due to the vast,

sparsely populated brush terrain. Historically, most of these

victims were buried as ‘unknowns’ without DNA collection or

any other attempt at identification.

In 2013 and 2014 Baylor University and the University of

Indianapolis exhumed many of these presumed migrants

from Sacred Heart Cemetery in Brooks County (Figure 3).

Since 2013, Operation Identification (OpID), located at the

Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State (FACTS), has

received 197 sets of remains most of which were exhumed

from Sacred Heart.

OpID aims to facilitate the identification and repatriation of

human remains found along or near the South Texas border

through scientific analysis and collaboration with

governmental and non-governmental organizations utilizing a

holistic anthropological approach towards identification.

Biocultural Approach to Identification and RepatriationOpID incorporates a holistic anthropological approach towards identification including traditional

osteological, dental, isotopic, genetic, and histological analyses

Biocultural lines of evidence (Birkby et al. 2008), including analyses of missing persons reports for

comparison of antemortem and postmortem data, and the examination of personal effects have

contributed to the production of identification hypotheses for several cases, which are used by

local and international non-governmental organizations to locate family reference samples for

genetic comparison.

Personal effects and biocultural modifications (Figures 4-9) can also facilitate closure for the

families and acceptance of an identification through genetic association. Additionally, FACTS

recently provided a space for viewing the deceased for family members who are unable to

accompany their loved ones to the decedent's country of origin to attend funeral rites. Social

workers and members of the religious community have been present to assist family members, as

well as forensic anthropologists to explain the scientific analyses that led to identification.

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge and thank the student volunteers at Texas State University,

Baylor University led by Dr. Lori Baker, and at the University of Indianapolis led by Dr. Krista

Latham for contributing countless hours to the project, the continued collaboration and

support from the Brooks County Sheriff’s Office and surrounding community, the Equipo

Argentino de Antropología Forense, the South Texas Human Rights Center, the Colibrí

Center for Human Rights, and all of our partners in the Forensic Border Coalition. This

project is partially funded by the Ed Rachal Foundation and the Governor’s office for the

state of Texas.

Continuing EffortsStudents and faculty continue to work with the BCSO

conducting pedestrian searches and recovery of human

remains (Figure 11). OpID project will be returning to Sacred

Heart Cemetery to finish exhumations at the beginning of

2017.

Numbers to NamesDespite public perception and the assumption that most

migrant are from Mexico, information from missing persons

reports collected by the South Texas Human Rights Center

and identifications of the OpID remains suggests the majority

of migrants entering Texas are from Central America (Figure

10). Of the 18 positively identified individuals, only four are

Mexican (Figure 11).

Figure 1. County map of Texas showing location

of Brooks County (red) (citation?)

Figure 2. Year-to-date seizures sign at Falfurrias

Border Patrol checkpoint

Figure 3. Grave markers located at Sacred Heart Cemetery, Brooks County, TX

Figure 9. Skull with dentures of OpID case that contributed to an identification hypothesis

Figure 7. Note recovered with OpID case with a hand drawn heart on front (a) and St. Michael

the Archangel prayer on back (b) (photo credit: Jen Reel, Texas Observer)

Figure 5. Acrylic partial denture with silver colored

star inlay from an OpID case

Figure 6. Religious iconography recovered with an

OpID case (photo credit: Jen Reel, Texas Observer)

Figure 4. Bible recovered with an OpID case

Figure 8. Prayer card found with an OpID case

a b

Figure 11. Texas State University students beginning recovery efforts of remains located

during a pedestrian search of private ranchland

Figure 10. Google map of known migrant routes from

Central America through Mexico (modified from

Amnesty International 2011)

Guatemala

(28%)

Mexico

(22%)

Honduras

(6%)

• A biological profile including sex, ancestry, age, and stature is developed using

population specific methods when available (e.g., Spradley et al. 2015)

• A complete series of dental radiographs is taken

• Case background, demographics, individualizing characteristics, and cleaned personal

effects are uploaded to the National Missing and Unidentified Person system (NamUs)

• DNA sample(s) are submitted to the University of North Texas Center for Human

Identification (UNTCHI) in accordance with the Texas Code of Criminal Procedures.

References

For a digital copy of this poster please scan the QR code, or email csiegert@txstate.edu

Figure 11. Graph showing country of origin

for confirmed identifications from OpID

Amnesty International. 2011. Invisible victims: migrants on the move in

Mexico.

Birkby WH, Fenton TW, Anderson BE. 2008. Identifying Southwest

Hispanics using nonmetric traits and the cultural profile. J Forensic Sci

53:29-33.

Spradley MK, Anderson BE, Tise ML. 2015. Postcranialsex estimation

criteria for Mexican Hispanics. J Forensic Sci 60: S27-S31.