In a special investigation series by Anthony Lucero Reports for AlamogordoTownNews.org, streaming on KALHRadio.org, it is revealed that the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office routinely fails to investigate human remains found near the U.S.-Mexico border. This alarming pattern is reportedly not isolated to Doña Ana County but is common across several sheriff’s departments in New Mexico and Arizona.
In an interview with James Holman of Battalion Search and Rescue, Anthony Lucero Reports sought to uncover more about these incidents. Battalion Search and Rescue is a volunteer humanitarian group focused on finding lost and missing migrants in high-traffic and remote desert locations, particularly in Arizona and New Mexico.
The Mission of Battalion Search and Rescue
The group, named in honor of the St. Patrick’s Battalion—a group of Irish immigrants who defected from the U.S. military in the 1800s after witnessing atrocities—has been working in the region for years. Their mission is to save lives and recover the remains of migrants who perish in the desert. The volunteers are a self-trained, community-based group that conducts monthly searches in the rugged Arizona and New Mexico deserts. Averaging ten miles per day on foot, they work tirelessly to locate individuals in distress and search for human remains.
Holman noted that the Sonoran Desert is an unforgiving environment, where remains can quickly disappear. “The sooner we find these individuals, the better the chances for identification, family reunification, and a proper burial,” Holman said.
Rising Number of Human Remains Found
Holman has participated in these search efforts for over six years and claims that more than 100 sites containing human remains have been found near the New Mexico border in the past year. His group alone has located 18 sets of human remains in the New Mexico desert this year. He describes the emotional toll of the work: “It can be draining, but the hope of bringing closure to families keeps us going.”
Doña Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart echoed concerns about the increasing number of remains found in the area. She reported a dramatic rise in deaths in the desert, from about 8-10 cases in 2022 to nearly 100 in 2023. However, the response from law enforcement appears inconsistent. In a 2023 interview with KFox14/CBS4 News, Stewart admitted that sometimes her office does not respond to reported locations based solely on GPS coordinates, citing cases where only one out of five coordinates proved accurate.
Authorities Failing to Investigate
Despite the growing number of remains being found, Holman and his team have become frustrated with local authorities. According to him, the Sheriff’s Office and the Office of the Medical Investigator (OMI) have neglected to visit and process several sites reported by the group. “We provide detailed GPS coordinates, overhead photography, and flag the sites with high-visibility tape to assist authorities. Yet, we have found that some of these reports are not being followed up on,” Holman said.
While the debate over immigration continues, Holman believes the focus should be on basic human dignity: “When you find a person dead or alive, you report it to the authorities. It’s disheartening when there isn’t a proper response. These individuals deserve respect.”
For Battalion Search and Rescue, the goal remains clear: to provide life-saving aid and, when that isn’t possible, to offer families the closure they desperately need.
