Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
A woman died Thursday after walking across western Val Verde County’s scorching landscape and the sheriff’s office is investigating her death.
Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez told the 830 Times on– Friday the death was reported to the sheriff’s office late Thursday.
“Two investigators were sent out to the west end of the county on an individual found deceased. We received a 9-1-1 call about 8 p.m. Thursday that initially went to the police department and was then transferred to us. Apparently there was a group of 15 individuals that were walking in an area five miles west of Langtry south of U.S. Highway 90,” the sheriff said.
“One member of the group, a woman, started feeling sick, and basically she was left behind by the group. A 17-year-old male stayed with her and tried to get her some help, and the 17-year-old was later taken into custody by Border Patrol,” Martinez said.
By the time help arrived, Martinez said, the woman had died.
The woman was a citizen of the Mexico state of Guanajuato, according to personal documents she was carrying, the sheriff said.
The sheriff said the teenager who stayed behind with the woman was from the same town in Guanajuato state as the dead woman.
“He decided to stay behind and try to help her,” Martinez said.
Martinez said documents found indicated the woman was 30 years of age.
“The incident is still under investigation, but she most likely entered the country illegally,” Martinez said.
Martinez declined to speculate what might have caused the woman’s death.
He said an autopsy was ordered, but there were no obvious signs of foul play on the woman’s body.
“There were no signs of trauma, but we’ll wait for the outcome of the autopsy,” Martinez said.
The sheriff said he isn’t sure if Border Patrol agents located the rest of the group with whom the woman and the teenager were traveling.
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