10-02-2024 8:33am

Battalion Search and Rescue Alleges New Mexico Authorities Not Investigating Human Remains Found in Desert Areas

Chris Edwards Editor

In a special investigation series by Anthony Lucero Reports for AlamogordoTownNews.org on streaming KALHRadio.org on Human Remains Found at Border, it is asserted that the Dona Ana County Sheriff's Office is routinely not investigating remains found. More disturbing this appears to be more common than not by multiple county sheriff's departments in New Mexico and in Arizona.

Anthony Lucero conducted an interview with James Holman of Battalion Search and Rescue to find out more.

Battalion Search and Rescue is a volunteer humanitarian group that searches high traffic areas

and remote locations for lost and missing migrants in the Desert primarily focused in Arizona and New Mexico.

A bit of history on the organization,the Battalion name was chosen to honor the St Patrick’s Battalion: a group of Irish immigrants serving in the US military in the 1800’s. They defected and joined the Mexican forces after witnessing atrocities committed by the US military and suffering horrible abuses at the hands of their superiors.

The Battalion Search and Rescue is search and rescue organization focusing on lost and missing migrants. Volunteers are a self trained community-based groups that reaches remote areas of the Arizona and New Mexico desert areas every month. Their volunteers come from a wide range of backgrounds, but have the same mission: to save lives and provide closure for families and loved ones. Their searches average ten miles per day over rugged terrain.

The Battalion focuses on finding people in distress while diligently searching for the remains of the fallen. Their mission is a race against time as the Sonoran desert is extremely efficient at removing any trace of human life. The sooner these individuals are found the better the chance for identification, family reunification, and proper burial.

Spokesperson James Holman in the interview with the streaming edition of AlamogordoTownNews.org says he has participated in these search activities for over 6 years. He said," it is a matter of fact that over 100 human remains sites have occurred near the New Mexico border areas over the last year."

Mr Holman states his organization has located "18 sets of human remains in the New Mexico desert this year."

Sheriff Kim Stewart said there is a massive issue in Doña Ana County with a significant growth of human remains being found in recent years.

"In 2022, our average deaths in the desert, we don't know if they're undocumented or who they are, but deaths in the desert between eight and 10. In 2023, it jumped almost to 100," Stewart said to KFox14/CBS4 News.

Reporter Ariana Parra of Stewart said to KFox14/CBS4 News asked : "Can you confirm that whenever they are sending you these coordinates and pictures and things like that, your officers and deputies are going out there to do that kind of search?"

"Sometimes, we will not go on mere coordinates. Last December we were handed some coordinates and of five only one was correct," Stewart responded to KFox14/CBS4 News.

Stewart said the numbers don’t lie, there is a growing trend of human remains found in the county.

The Battalion Search and Rescue Organization in our interview with Mr. Holman claims local authorities like DASO and the Office of Medical Investigators are not visiting some of the sites that the group of volunteers has replaced that "it has come to the volunteers' attention that the Sheriff's Office and the Office of the Medical Investigator (OMI) do not appear to be even visiting and processing some of the reported sites. We report to the sheriff's office detailed information such as GPS coordinates, overhead photography with forensic rulers and we flag the sites with high visibility tape for ease of finding the location that was reported to the police."

Holman continued, "we can argue about immigration till we are blue in the face but when you find a person dead or alive and you report that information to the authorities it is sad when you are not getting a proper response, ...they deserve dignity and respect."

The group explained that "instead of the satisfaction of handing a person a life-saving bottle of water you find skeletal remains, the job can be emotionally draining. Still, there’s always the hope of identifying the remains and bringing somebody’s parents, children or spouse much-needed closure."

To hear the interview with Anthony Lucero visit:

https://youtu.be/v5jKTogogw8?si=Rh0ECQZdXKV0_csT