BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A man found dead near railroad tracks in southwest Bexar County earlier this week has been identified by the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The body of Nereo Aguilar Garcia, 49, was discovered around 1:30 p.m. Monday near Pue and Wolf roads, just outside Loop 1604.
In a news conference on Monday, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said they believe Garcia’s death is connected with the six people found dead inside a boxcar in Laredo over the weekend, which investigators suspect was a human smuggling attempt.
>> What we know about 6 people found dead in a Laredo boxcar, another found near Bexar County railroad
The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office identified Garcia on Wednesday morning. His official cause and manner of death are still pending, the office told KSAT.
What we know about six people found dead
The six bodies in Laredo were discovered in a potential human smuggling event Sunday afternoon during an inspection at a rail yard in the 12000 block of Jim Young Way, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Salazar said investigators believe Garcia was traveling with the same group connected to the Laredo boxcar deaths.
Watch the full Monday afternoon news conference below:
He said after the bodies were found in Laredo, Union Pacific and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents went back to patrol the Pue and Wolf roads location, where they had received an alert that one of the containers had been opened.
Salazar described the boxcars as “basically airtight,” estimating temperatures can reach up to 150 degrees. Because the boxcars cannot be opened from the inside, authorities believe smugglers either found Garcia’s body and dumped it out to avoid accountability, or he was leaning against the door when it was opened and he fell out.
Salazar said he was in possession of a Mexican voter registration card.
Salazar said on Saturday evening that the San Antonio Police Department received a call from a person out of state who said they had received a message from a relative believed to be in one of the boxcars.
The relative said “it was getting very, very hot, and that they were having some physical trouble as a result of it,” Salazar said.
SAPD was dispatched to a location in the city several miles up the road, Salazar said, but nothing was found. Authorities believe the person who sent the message was among the six deceased found in Laredo.
The train originated from Del Rio, Salazar said. When it arrived at a station near where Garcia was found on Monday, the train split, with half going to Laredo and the other half going to Houston.
Salazar said it remains unclear whether the full group was larger than seven people.
“It’s quite possible that load of people may have been somewhat bigger than the seven bodies we’re up to now, or it’s possible that may have been it,” Salazar said.
Union Pacific said it is “working closely with law enforcement to investigate.”
Anyone who has information or believes they may have seen something suspicious is urged to contact the sheriff’s office.
Read also: