Migrant remains unrecovered in New Mexico desert despite reports
Jan 13, 2026·Location: Santa Teresa, NM

Volunteer searchers with Battalion Search and Rescue have documented dozens of sites containing migrant skeletal remains in the New Mexico desert west of El Paso, with some sites remaining unrecovered for over 18 months after being reported to authorities. The group reported finding human remains or personal effects at 15 locations that were marked on government maps as cleaned-up sites, and disputes official figures showing a sharp drop in migrant remains recovered, claiming several sites they reported in late 2024 were actually recovered but not counted in official statistics.
Sources
- santafenewmexican.com
- ‘An open graveyard’: Skeletal remains lie unrecovered in New Mexico’s borderlands
organmountainnews.com·Dec 7, 2025·archived copy
- Inquiry into unrecovered remains was guided by story of Salvadoran migrant
- 'An open graveyard': Skeletal remains lie unrecovered in New Mexico's borderlands
Yahoo News·Mar 16, 2025·archived copy
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