By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
A man drowned in the Rio Grande in far southern Val Verde County Sunday as he was attempting to flee from a sheriff’s deputy investigating a reported burglary, Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez said.
Martinez spoke to The 830 Times about the incident Thursday morning.
“On Sunday, the 30th of March, our dispatch received a call from a landowner about a possible burglary in progress in the 5,000 block of Vega Verde Road,” Martinez said.
The sheriff said the landowner called about the possible break-in about 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
“A deputy responded to the scene. The individual was located hiding in some of the cane along the riverbank, in the water. Border Patrol showed up to assist,” Martinez said.
The sheriff said the deputy and Border Patrol agents ordered the man to surrender and come out of the water.
“The individual refused and started swimming back into Mexico. They (the deputy and Border Patrol agents) observed the individual struggling in the water. He went down two times, and on the third time, he didn’t come back up,” Martinez said.
He noted the Border Patrol’s marine unit was dispatched to the stretch of the Rio Grande where the man was last seen.
“They recovered the man’s body shortly thereafter,” the sheriff said.
Martinez said the man’s body was recovered about 1:30 p.m.
Martinez said no identifying documents were found on the man’s body or in his clothing.
“He had numerous tattoos all over his body. (Photos) have been provided to the Mexican consulate, but as of today, he has not been formally identified,” Martinez said.
The sheriff said the deputy and Border Patrol agents on the U.S. side of the river saw another individual on the Mexico side of the river during the incident and believe that person may have been a scout or a lookout for the drowned man, but said no one else was seen with the man on the U.S. side.
Martinez also said no entry was made into any home or outbuildings on the landowner’s property, and nothing was taken from the premises.
After the man’s body was recovered, Justice of the Peace Pct. 4 Hilda Lopez ordered an autopsy.
“The body was transported Monday morning, about 8 a.m., to the Webb County Medical Examiner’s Office in Laredo for the autopsy,” Martinez said.
The sheriff added, “Right now, this is still an open investigation. We have not identified the individual, so we’re following up with some of our federal partners and following up with the Mexican consulate to see if we can get this individual identified.”
Martinez said break-ins of homes and thefts of items from properties along Vega Verde Road were once fairly routine occurrences.
“There’s been burglaries along the river ever since people began living there, but with everything that’s been going on with immigration issues and the increased law enforcement presence that brought, (burglaries and thefts) really slowed down, and now, this incident took place, but I’m not ready to say that it’s a trend that’s picking back up,” Martinez said.
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