We, the undersigned organizations working to fight against injustices in the state of Texas, urge officials in Brooks County,

TX to collect DNA samples from ALL unidentified human remains found within the county. Brooks County, specifically the city of Falfurrias, TX, is becoming the center of a humanitarian crisis, as a growing rate of migrants is passing through the Rio Grande Valley. Leila de Jess Torres, a resident of Los Angeles, CA, has reason to believe that the remains of her son, Enrique Caldern, are being kept at a local funeral home in Mission, TX. Abandoned in the desert brush, these remains were found several months ago. To the date of this letter, the remains have not been positively identified, and Ms. Torres has been told that the body will be laid to rest in the coming days. Without positive identification, Ms. Torres may never know the whereabouts of her son, Enrique. She is asking only for closure, so that she may begin to address her grieving. Under Texas State Law, law enforcement officials are required to collect DNA samples from remains that are unidentified. The Texas Code of Criminal Procedure requires officials to collect DNA samples and conduct an inquest into the cause of death.1 These samples will be tested, free of charge to local law enforcement, at the University of North Texas Health Services Center.2 Unfortunately, the increasing quantity of remains being found in counties across South Texas has presented a significant challenge to local law enforcement. Recent reports suggest as many as 129 bodies found in Brooks County alone.3 Of those 129, a reported 47 went unidentified in the year 2012. This number is up from 13 in 2011 and 5 in 2010, respectively (Note: these numbers do not include bodies that were identified using other indicators, such as driver licenses and personal belongings that may or may not be authentic).4 If we do not work to address this issue immediately, all indicators point to a growing trend of remains going unidentified. Fortunately, there are concrete steps that Brooks County can take to ensure that ALL remains are properly identified. With a signed order from the Justice of the Peace, the Brooks County Sheriff Department can request a DNA sample taken from the remains. As previously mentioned, the University of North Texas Health Services Center will perform the DNA test free of charge for the Brooks County Sheriff Department. The process is straightforward, relatively easy, and presents no formal cost to Brooks County. We urge you to move immediately to address this issue. As we consider the alarming number migrants who have fallen on their journey north, we must remember the grieving families, who want nothing but closure on the whereabouts of their loved ones. For questions, please contact Tom Power at (832) 767-3650 or Joseph Martin at (956) 787-8171

Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 49.04(a) (A justice of the peace shall conduct an inquest into the death of a person who dies in the county served by the justice if: . . . (3) the body or a body part of a person is found, the cause or circumstances of death are unknown, and: . . . (B) the person is unidentified) 2 Texas Missing Persons Database. Center for Human Identification. July 31 2007. <http://www.hsc.unt.edu/departments/pathology_anatomy/dna/Forensics/MissingPersons/MissingPersons.cfm> 3 Armendariz, Jacqueline. Unidentified immigrant body count remains grave issue in Brooks County. The Monitor. 27 January 2013. 4 Saavedra, Missy, Deputy Clerk Brooks County. Open Records Request Response. January 23 2013.
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