Clockwise from left, Ryan Strand, Dr. Krista Latham, Jessica Campbell and Erica Christensen exhume the grave of an undocumented immigrant in Brooks County, Texas. Not pictured is Justin Maiers.
It was a busy week for UIndy’s Dr. Krista Latham and four graduate students who volunteered their time and talents in archeology and forensic anthropology to assist in a difficult job: Reclaiming the remains of undocumented immigrants who have died in the south Texas countryside while trying to enter the United States.
The group exhumed 63 graves, some of which contained remains of more than one individual, Latham said. During their stay, local authorities recovered several more bodies from the surrounding ranch lands, as well as an 11-year-old girl, still alive, who apparently had been left behind by the group paid to smuggle her into the country.
“It’s heartbreaking work,” Latham said.
The UIndy team — which included students Jessica Campbell of LaFarge, Wis.; Erica Christensen of Indianapolis; Justin Maiers of Lapeer, Mich.; and Ryan Strand of Irving, Texas — was called to assist Associate Professor Lori Baker of Baylor University, director of a nonprofit program that coordinates with authorities on both sides of the border to identify and repatriate the remains of the missing.
Their work generated significant news coverage:
Corpus Christi Caller-Times photo gallery
Corpus Christi Caller-Times video
Read more about the project here.
The UIndy team members receive certificates of appreciation from Brooks County Judge Raul Ramirez. From left are Maiers, Christensen, Campbell, Latham, Ramirez and Strand.
