Statement of Incident: Woman from Mexico dies after being ejected from human smuggling vehicle

This notification is being issued to the public pursuant to the CBP policy regarding Notification and Review Procedures for Certain Deaths and Deaths in Custody and the Department of Homeland Security FY 2021 Appropriation (H. Rept. 116-458) reporting requirements related to CBP-involved deaths.  

On Aug. 9, 2024, at 2:08 p.m., U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) Tucson Station (TUS) personnel broadcast via radio that a vehicle suspected of being involved in human smuggling was observed traveling south on Ruby Road in Arivaca, Arizona (AZ). A nearby Border Patrol Agent (BPA) requested a description of the vehicle.   

At approximately 2:11 p.m., TUS personnel notified the BPA via radio that the vehicle was a gold sport utility vehicle (SUV) displaying an out-of-state license plate with registration that did not match the vehicle. At approximately 2:12 p.m., the BPA reported that he was responding to the area to attempt to locate the vehicle.   

At approximately 2:27 p.m., the BPA reported that he had located the SUV on Ruby Road, approximately 9.3 miles north of the international border and approximately 14.4 miles northeast of the Sasabe Port of Entry in Sasabe, AZ. A second BPA reported via radio that he had also located the vehicle and would be assuming a secondary position behind the first BPA. The first BPA advised the second BPA that he would wait for the second BPA to reach his location before attempting a vehicle stop.   

At approximately 2:30 p.m., the primary BPA reported the vehicle license plates and requested records checks. At approximately 2:32 p.m., the BPA received the records information which confirmed that the license plate registration did not match the vehicle description.  

At approximately 2:33 p.m., the BPAs attempted to conduct a vehicle stop near the intersection of Wedgeford Road and Ruby Road by activating their emergency equipment in their separate marked USBP vehicles. The driver of the SUV failed to yield to the BPAs’ emergency equipment, and the BPAs pursued the SUV with their emergency equipment activated.   

At approximately 2:35 p.m., the BPAs briefly lost sight of the SUV. Shortly thereafter, the lead BPA encountered it and observed that it had crashed just north of the intersection of Wedgeford Road and Ruby Road, approximately half a mile from where the BPAs attempted the vehicle stop. The first BPA immediately reported the location of the single-vehicle accident via radio and exited his vehicle. He observed multiple people, who were suspected of being in the country illegally, had been ejected from the vehicle and requested emergency medical services (EMS) via radio. Approximately one minute later, the second BPA arrived on scene, secured several individuals by handcuffing them, and began medically assessing the SUV’s remaining passengers.    

At approximately 2:38 p.m., the BPAs reported via radio that multiple individuals had sustained injuries and advised there was at least one individual on the ground who was not moving. The BPAs requested a life flight air ambulance for the unresponsive woman, who was a citizen of Mexico. BPAs noticed that the individual did not have a pulse, and agents initiated and continued cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until EMS arrived.    

At approximately 2:46 p.m., Arivaca Fire District (AFD) EMS arrived on scene and assumed primary medical care of the woman and all other individuals who had sustained injuries from the accident.  BPAs assisted AFD EMS by performing CPR on the woman while AFD EMS attached an automated external defibrillator (AED).    

At approximately 2:51 p.m., the AED advised “no shock,” and an AFD EMS paramedic determined that CPR and lifesaving efforts would be discontinued. At approximately 2:56 p.m., the AFD EMS paramedic pronounced the woman deceased. Pima County Office of Medical Examiner (PCOME) personnel later took custody.  

At approximately 3:25 p.m., Pima County Sheriff’s Deputies arrived on scene to investigate the incident. AFD EMS transported six injured individuals with non-life-threatening injuries to Banner - University Medical Center in Tucson, AZ, where they were treated and released to USBP custody. 

On August 12, 2024, PCOME medical examiners conducted an autopsy examination of the decedent. PCOME personnel determined the cause of death as blunt force trauma and listed the manner of death as accident.    

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the incident and CBP Office of Professional Responsibility is reviewing it. The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General was notified.