![]() He also said Zamorano-whom he called “Homer”-tried to run away from authorities.Īs for the victims, it has been confirmed that 27 Mexicans, 14 Hondurans, seven Guatemalans, and two Salvadorans died, according to Francisco Garduño, head of the Mexican government’s National Migration Institute.įamilies from Mexico and Central America have since taken to social media to remember their loved ones, while authorities in the U.S. After the truck’s discovery Monday, authorities say Martinez admitted to a confidential informant prior to his arrest that he was involved and that he was unaware the truck’s AC was down. ![]() Martinez, who appears to live in a modest weatherboard house in Palestine, Texas, was already being investigated by Homeland Security, the criminal complaint says. They were arrested on charges of possessing weapons while residing illegally in the U.S.-a charge punishable with a maximum of 10 years in prison. Hard truck 2 death driver#Truck Driver in Migrant Tragedy Tried to Pass Himself Off as Victim: OfficialsĪlso arrested in connection with the tragedy were Mexican nationals Francisco D’Luna-Bilbao and Juan Claudio D’Luna-Mendez, after authorities found them at an address linked to the big rig. Martinez’s profile says he worked at Walmart, while Zamorano’s page lists him as single and from Brownsville, Texas-another city on the U.S.-Mexico border. history.įacebook accounts for Zamorano and Martinez list the pair as friends. Zamorano faces the same charge and potential sentence as Martinez for his role in what’s been reported as the deadliest smuggling incident in U.S. First responders didn’t buy it, however, and took him into custody while rushing the truck’s survivors to local hospitals. The complaint said Zamorano, who was found in the nearby brush, tried to disguise himself as a victim. ![]() “I have too many bodies here,” said one responding officer over the radio, reported the San Antonio Express-News. When San Antonio police responded, they made a grisly discovery: piles of bodies, hot to the touch, spread across the back of the truck and spilling out onto the road and nearby brush. It appears the 73 migrants boarded the truck in or near Laredo on Monday and had their phones confiscated, some family members told the Associated Press. ![]() The feds say Martinez sent a final text at 6:17 p.m., again texting the initials: “Wya?”Īs Martinez texted, authorities say Zamorano drove the big rig through the Laredo checkpoint-where he was photographed by security cameras-and headed for the rural, southwest end of San Antonio. Martinez allegedly texted three more times at 3:18 p.m., sending: “Call me bro,” ”Yes,” ”Call me bro.” The complaint says he texted a shorthand version of “where you at bro?” at 1:40 p.m. This caused Martinez to become seemingly frantic, pestering his partner with a volley of texts that went unanswered. But there would be no additional replies from Zamorano. After 30 minutes, the complaint says, Martinez responded by texting an address to Zamorano: 3108 Chacon Street in Laredo, Texas-an industrial area just three miles from the Mexican border. ![]()
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