Police say six people smuggled into U.S. in train car died of heat stroke

U.S. newsPolice say six people smuggled into U.S. in train car died of heat strokeA seventh person, who may have been in the group, was also found dead near the train tracks in San Antonio.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Union Pacific signage is displayed at a rail yard in Laredo, Texas, on May 10, 2026.KGNS via APShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 14, 2026, 4:16 PM EDTBy Alicia Victoria LozanoAll six people whose remains were discovered in a boxcar in South Texas died from heat stroke before they were found by law enforcement, Laredo mayor Dr. Victor Treviño said during a news conference Thursday. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The victims were previously identified as five males and one female, ranging in age from 14 to 56, according to the Webb County Medical Examiner’s Office. Authorities have not released their names. Three of the people were from Mexico and three were from Honduras, police said.“Today, our community is still mourning a heartbreaking discovery,” Treviño told reporters.“Let me be clear, we are demanding justice for these lives lost,” he went on. “It doesn’t matter where they came from.”Chief Miguel A. Rodriguez Jr. of the Laredo Police Department holds a multi-agency press conference regarding discovery of six people found deceased in boxcar on Thursday.Laredo Police DepartmentThe Laredo Police Department was called to a Union Pacific train on Sunday afternoon after an employee reported a “trailer box car with the discovery of multiple casualties in the car.”The train had departed from Long Beach, Calif., on May 7 and arrived in Del Rio, Texas, on May 9, Laredo Police Chief Miguel Rodriguez said. It was there that the six people were loaded into the boxcar, according to the preliminary investigation.The train traveled from Del Rio through San Antonio and onward to Laredo. Local police said they presume the deaths were tied to a human smuggling operation, and hav...