Past Human Remains Reports
This map of recovered remains in 2020 is current through July of 2020. It is derived from Humane Borders in partnership with the Pima County Medical Examiners Office. Each red circle represents a recovered human remain.
We use these maps to identify where to focus our efforts/ where to leave water and food.
You can search this up-to-date map (https://humaneborders.info/) by region, year, gender, name, etc.
For example, you can search for all human remains recovered in 2020, or you can fine-tune it to a specific area.
We use these maps to identify where to focus our efforts/ where to leave water and food.
You can search this up-to-date map (https://humaneborders.info/) by region, year, gender, name, etc.
For example, you can search for all human remains recovered in 2020, or you can fine-tune it to a specific area.
JULY Recovered Human Remains analysis
Here is a summary of the past month of migrant deaths. A terrible accounting of the effects of the weather, among other things. This is as bad as any month since I started handling the data about five years ago.
Recently found individuals grouped by PMI (Post Mortem Interval):
9 dead less than a day
4 dead less than 1 week
7 dead less than 5 weeks
2 dead less than 6-8 months
4 dead more than 6-8 months
Total: 26
Updates for other cases:
3 individuals identified by name
4 sets of partial remains identified by DNA as belonging with another set of remains and removed from database
1 individual from 2003 whose recovery location (Growler Valley on the bombing range) was recently found in case files
Total deaths currently recorded in our database: 3,292
The deaths were spread widely across the border region.
Here is a summary of the past month of migrant deaths. A terrible accounting of the effects of the weather, among other things. This is as bad as any month since I started handling the data about five years ago.
Recently found individuals grouped by PMI (Post Mortem Interval):
9 dead less than a day
4 dead less than 1 week
7 dead less than 5 weeks
2 dead less than 6-8 months
4 dead more than 6-8 months
Total: 26
Updates for other cases:
3 individuals identified by name
4 sets of partial remains identified by DNA as belonging with another set of remains and removed from database
1 individual from 2003 whose recovery location (Growler Valley on the bombing range) was recently found in case files
Total deaths currently recorded in our database: 3,292
The deaths were spread widely across the border region.
June 2020
Here is a summary of the past month's changes. It includes reporting from Maricopa County as well as Pima.
Recently found individuals grouped by PMI (Post Mortem Interval):
3 dead less than a day
4 dead less than 5 weeks
1 dead less than 6-8 months
5 dead more than 6-8 months
1 not yet determined
1 from Maricopa (PMI not supplied, but probably less than 3 weeks)
Total: 15 (Note: 1 death reported in June was from May. The attached statistics show 14 for June and raise May's total from last month by one.)
Updates for other individuals:
6 identified by name
6 identified by DNA as part of another set of remains and removed from database
Total deaths currently recorded in our database: 3,270
Here is a summary of the past month's changes. It includes reporting from Maricopa County as well as Pima.
Recently found individuals grouped by PMI (Post Mortem Interval):
3 dead less than a day
4 dead less than 5 weeks
1 dead less than 6-8 months
5 dead more than 6-8 months
1 not yet determined
1 from Maricopa (PMI not supplied, but probably less than 3 weeks)
Total: 15 (Note: 1 death reported in June was from May. The attached statistics show 14 for June and raise May's total from last month by one.)
Updates for other individuals:
6 identified by name
6 identified by DNA as part of another set of remains and removed from database
Total deaths currently recorded in our database: 3,270
May 2020
Here is a summary of the month's changes.
Newly found individuals:
1 dead less than a day;
1 dead less than a week;
1 dead less than 3 weeks;
7 dead more than 6-8 months;
1 not yet determined;
Month's total: 11, in various locations: Cabeza Prieta 4, Organ Pipe 1, TON 4, Altar Valley 1, Nogales 1.
Other updates:
1 identified by name;
1 identified by DNA as part of another set of remains.
Total deaths currently recorded in our database: 3,261
April 2020
This month [April] there are 15 new deaths, with reports from both Maricopa County (3 deaths from February and March) and Pima County (12 deaths from April). The Post Mortem Interval (time between death and discovery) of 7 of the Pima cases is more than 6-8 months; the 3 Maricopa cases were skeletal remains and likely fall into that category as well. 2 of the 5 people who died more recently were found east of Nogales (Patagonia and Douglas), which is a little unusual. So far he number of 2020 deaths in Cochise County and eastern Santa Cruz County is running ahead of the last couple years.
The Pima OME is successfully using DNA to match portions of remains found separately. When this happens the cases are merged and one of them is removed from our database. There were 8 such cases this past month, so the total number of deaths did not increase as much as the numbers above would lead you to expect.
On the map 20-1280 covers up 20-1281; they are located only 400 feet from each other and show up as a single dot.
Here is a summary of the month's changes.
Newly found individuals:
1 dead less than a day;
1 dead less than a week;
1 dead less than 3 weeks;
7 dead more than 6-8 months;
1 not yet determined;
Month's total: 11, in various locations: Cabeza Prieta 4, Organ Pipe 1, TON 4, Altar Valley 1, Nogales 1.
Other updates:
1 identified by name;
1 identified by DNA as part of another set of remains.
Total deaths currently recorded in our database: 3,261
April 2020
This month [April] there are 15 new deaths, with reports from both Maricopa County (3 deaths from February and March) and Pima County (12 deaths from April). The Post Mortem Interval (time between death and discovery) of 7 of the Pima cases is more than 6-8 months; the 3 Maricopa cases were skeletal remains and likely fall into that category as well. 2 of the 5 people who died more recently were found east of Nogales (Patagonia and Douglas), which is a little unusual. So far he number of 2020 deaths in Cochise County and eastern Santa Cruz County is running ahead of the last couple years.
The Pima OME is successfully using DNA to match portions of remains found separately. When this happens the cases are merged and one of them is removed from our database. There were 8 such cases this past month, so the total number of deaths did not increase as much as the numbers above would lead you to expect.
On the map 20-1280 covers up 20-1281; they are located only 400 feet from each other and show up as a single dot.