Texas Human Trafficking News: Trailer With 8 Dead Bodies, 31 Injured Found at San Antonio Walmart
A trailer with eight dead people and 31 injured civilians was found at a Walmart parking lot in San Antonio, Texas.
The trailer was discovered when a man who came from inside it asked a Walmart employee for water, CNN reported. After the employee brought water to the man, he then called authorities and requested for a welfare check in the parking lot.
When authorities came and discovered the people inside the trailer, they quickly called in a "mass casualty incident" and requested 29 units to help bring the civilians to the nearest hospital, San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood explained.
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A ninth person was later added to the death count due to injuries.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said that the incident is most likely a human trafficking case.
"Checking the video from the store, we found there were a number of vehicles that came in and picked up a lot of the folks that were in that trailer that survived the trip," he explained.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's acting director, Thomas Homan, believes that there were more than 100 undocumented immigrants inside the 18-wheeler trailer. However, there is no trace of where the other civilians are.
Several of the people inside the trailer could develop irreversible brain damage. According to the Mayo Clinic, swelling of the brain and other vital organs caused by a heat stroke can lead to permanent damage.
At the time, San Antonio already had a 38-degree Celsius temperature, causing more heat to the people inside the trailer without air conditioning or any source of air.
Authorities are reviewing surveillance videos to track down the source of the trailer and who are the people responsible. The driver of the trailer, 60-year-old James Matthew Bradley Jr., is expected to be charged with a criminal complaint for being an accomplice.
But the priority now is to put the victims under intensive care. Once the victims have recovered, U.S. ICE will take action.
"The horrific crime uncovered last night ranks as a stark reminder of why human smuggling networks must be pursued, caught and punished," Homan strongly said.
