SAN ANTONIO – It's a big job, and now there is a big helping hand.
The Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas State Guard have joined the search for bodies in Brooks County.
The county has been a death trap for nearly 400 illegal immigrants since 2011.
Brooks County Sheriff personnel have been overwhelmed as the surge of immigrant and drug traffic through their area has grown, and the number of deaths from heat and exposure has soared.
The DPS and the Guard have deployed teams of 20 to 25 helping Brooks County carry the major load.
DPS director Steven McGraw says the teams have been combing mostly private land in Brooks County this week and through the weekend.
The Brooks County Sheriff's force is relatively small, and cannot handle the number of deaths that have plagued the county.
DPS and the Guard say they are respondiong to any call from Brooks County personnel to search for bodies.
Texas Guardsmen specially trained in search and rescue techniques are deploying all terrain vehicles, cadaver dogs, grid searches and medical teams in the operations.
The DPS says any bodies found are treated as crime scenes, and Texas Rangers will conduct investigations and autopsies on those persons.
Brooks County has worked to identify all bodies found, and to returned them to family when possible.