An investigation by the Federal Police revealed that a 21-year-old Brazilian man died last year, after falling ill while trying to cross the border between Mexico and the United States illegally, and was abandoned by a "coyote" ( smuggler of illegal immigrants) who continued his journey with other migrants.
The body was found on April 19, six days after the failed attempt. The family of Ayron Henrickson Fernandes Gonçalves, however, only learned the fact five months after his death, thanks to the information provided by the father of one of the young people who took part in the crossing with him. A Mexican woman also got in touch with the family to say that the body was in a unit of the country's medical forensic service.
Both of them contacted Gonçalves' relatives in September last year when they saw the campaign on social networks looking for the young man from Governador Valadares (MG).
Gonçalves was not the only Brazilian to lose his life in this way. As reported by Folha, since 2020, at least eight Brazilians have died trying to make the crossing. There are also reports of kidnappings, rapes, extortion, and abandonment along the way.
Translated by Cassy Dias