Law enforcement authorities made a gruesome discovery early Tuesday morning after a train conductor made a 911 call to report a suspicion that the train may have struck a person on the track. Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the area just west of Del Rio and discovered the badly mangled remains of a deceased adult male lying on the tracks. According to law enforcement authorities, the Union Pacific railroad employee reported he could not avoid striking the person.
The incident occurred just after 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday, according to a law enforcement source who was not authorized to speak to the media. The badly mangled body has not been identified, and a press conference regarding the incident is set to begin shortly, according to the source. No next of kin has been notified, but the source close to the investigation suspects the deceased is not a migrant.
The Cienegas Terrace area west of Del Rio is very close to the border. The rail line that travels through the residential and industrial area is part of the Amtrack passenger rail route into Del Rio. The incident occurred approximately 4 miles west of the Del Rio Amtrack station. The source tells Breitbart the investigation is in the early stages, and most of the details surrounding the discovery of the body are not known.
The source told Breitbart Texas the initial indications led authorities to believe the deceased may be a migrant, as injuries and deaths that occur along the rail line this close to the border almost exclusively involve migrants using the trains to leave the border area. Details were discovered after the body was examined, indicating that this was not the case.
The body has been sent for autopsy, and the case remains under investigation by the Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
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