Warning: This photo gallery contains graphic images and descriptions and may not be suitable for all readers.
Nearly 2,000 men, women and children have died trying to cross the border illegally in the past decade, not counting the bodies still out there waiting to be discovered. These images were taken during one week spent at the Pima County Medical Examiner.
Photos by Dean Knuth / Arizona Daily Star
Looking Through Belongings
Updated
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Looking for Clues During Autopsy
Updated
Pathologist Assistant Krystal Poulin, Forensic Anthropologist Dr. Bruce Anderson, center, and Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Bruce Parks, right, during the external exam of an autopsy on a unidentified border crosser, case no. 10-1227, at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Loading Bodies in the Cooler
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Investigator Tessa Lee puts a body of a unidentified border crosser, case no. 10-1227, into a rack in the body refrigerator at the Medical Examiner. The office handled 81 illegal border crosser bodies in June and July.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Wallet Holds Clues
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Forensic Medical Investigator David Valenzuela looks through the wallet of a unidentified border crosser, case no. 10-1227. This wallet held bus passes for one name and the ID found in the sole of his shoe had a different name.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
First Peek of a New Case
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Investigator David Valenzuela examines the body of a unidentified border crosser, case no. 10-1227, at the Medical Examiner.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Comparing Shoes During Autopsy
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Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Bruce Parks, left, measures a foot against a shoe found near the body with Pathology Assistant Krystal Poulin, right, during the external exam of an autopsy of an unidentified border crosser, case no. 10-1227, at the the Medical Examiner.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Jane Doe Finergprints
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Pathology Assistant Krystal Poulin inspects the finger prints she just took off of an unidentified border crosser, case no. 10-1194, at the Medical Examiner. Poulin will then send the prints to Border Patrol and TPD in an attempt to find a match.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Piles of Paperwork
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Robin Reineke, doctoral student at the School of Anthropology at the University of Arizona, left, who helps the Medical Examiner match unidentified border crossers, searches through unidentified border crosser documents with the Consul General of Guatemala Julia Guzman, right, while going over cases of missing Guatemalans at the Medical Examiner. Reineke tries to match up missing person reports with bodies held at the Medical Examiner's office.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Finding Where Bodies are in the Cooler
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Forensic Medical Investigator Gene Hernandez looks on a white board for the location in the cooler of a unidentified border crosser, case no. 10-1227, at the Medical Examiner. The office has two coolers that have space for 220 bodies, but in the summer when deaths soar they use a portable trailer as a cooler.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Body Recovery
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At 4:52 a.m. Field Agent Trevis Hairston with the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner, left, and a Sheriff Deputy, right, transfer the body of a border crosser, case no. 10-1248, along State Route 86 just 7 miles north of the border on near Sasabe, Ariz. The Sheriffs Department met Hairston along the road to transfer the body, the woman died the night before in the desert near the area.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Long Drive Back
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At 5:47 a.m. Field Agent Trevis Hairston with the Medical Examiner, drives with a body, case no. 10-1248, recovered from the desert near Sasabe, Ariz. When it is busiest, Medical Examiner vehicles would pass each other along the highway on their way to pick up more illegal border crosser bodies, said Investigator David Valenzuela.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Figuring out Various Cases
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Forensic Medical Investigator Gene Hernandez, left, and Lorenia Ton, right, of the Mexican Consulate, go over paperwork for a unidentified border crosser, case no. 10-1227, at the Medical Examiner. Ton is the medium between the Medical Examiner and the families in Mexico looking for their loved ones.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Anthropology Exam
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Forensic Anthropologist Dr. Bruce Anderson looks over the remains of case no. 10-1157, an illegal border crosser, while attempting to identify him or her. Anderson will use forensic techniques to determine the age and height of the remains, in an attempt to identify him or her.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Chief Medical Examiner
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Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Bruce Parks speaks into a recorder during the external exam of an autopsy of an unidentified border crosser.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Inspecting Hands
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Investigator David Valenzuela looks at the hand of a unidentified border crosser, case no. 10-1227, at the Medical Examiner. The hands eventually had to be re-hydrated to get a finger print.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
ID Found
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Pathology Assistant Krystal Poulin left, looks at an identification card found under the sole of the shoes found near the body in the desert with Pathology Assistant Marcie Yates, right, in the external exam during an autopsy of an unidentified border crosser, case no. 10-1227, at the Medical Examiner.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
'Unknown'
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Forensic Medical Investigator Gene Hernandez looks through the property lockers while searching for property of an unidentified illegal border crosser, case no. 10-1194, at the Medical Examiner. Hernandez brought out a 50-peso bill, lip balm, a ring and a small tin of menthol.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Finger Prints
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Krystal Poulin finger prints anunidentified border crosser, case no. 10-1239, at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
A Small Ring
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Lorenia Ton, of the Mexican Consulate, looks at the belongings of a unidentified border crosser, case no. 10-1194 at the Medical Examiner. Small things like rings or tins could help identify people.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Cleaning the Body
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Pathology Assistants Marcie Yates, front, and Krystal Poulin, behing, prepare an unidentified border crosser, case no. 10-1239, for an autopsy at the Medical Examiner. The office can do up to 5 autopsies per day.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
John Doe Tag
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Field Agent Ron Foster gets a John Doe tag ready for an unidentified border crosser, case no. 10-1227, at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Comparing Photos
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Consul General of Guatemala Julia Guzman, left, looks at a photo of a unidentified Guatemalan with Robin Reineke, right, doctoral student at the School of Anthropology at the University of Arizona, left, who helps the Medical Examiner match unidentified border crossers, while going over cases of missing Guatemalans.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Preparing the Body
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Field Agent Trevis Hairston covers up the body of a border crosser, case no. 10-1248, at the Medical Examiner after driving in the middle of the night to recieve her body near Sasabe, AZ. Case no. 10-1248 would be autopsied and identified that day.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
External Exam
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Forensic Pathologist Dr. Gregory Hess looks at the arm of a border crosser, case no. 10-1248, during the external exam of an autopsy at the Medical Examiner. The body came to the Medical Examiners with some questions of cause of death, Hess attempted to determine the cause through visual and lab work means.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Body Pickup at the Sells Hospital
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Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner Field Agent Trevis Hairston takes a body, case no. 10-1264, out of the morgue at the Sells Indian Hospital with Tohono O'odham Nation Police Detective Sean Dailey, right, in Sells, Ariz.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
A Phone, A Chance
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Investigator Chuck Harding, left, looks at a phone found by Field Agent Trevis Hairston, right, from case no. 10-1264, Harding powered it on and found that the phone did not have a SIM card meaning there was no record of numbers called or contacts.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
No SIM Card
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Investigator Chuck Harding plugs in a phone found with the body of case no. 10-1264. Harding powered the phone on and found that the it did not have a SIM card.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Daunting Task
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Robin Reineke, doctoral student at the School of Anthropology at the University of Arizona who helps the Medical Examiner match unidentified border crossers, searches through her computer for unidentified border crosser information. She works to connect missing person reports with the bodies that end up at the Office.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Phone Numbers Hidden
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Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Eric Peters, left, finds a small piece of wrapped plastic that had a piece of paper with numbers on it, during the external exam of an autopsy of an unidentified border crosser, case no. 10-1239. The two numbers were called but both people on the other end said they had no knowledge of anyone crossing the border.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Body Recovery, Sells Police Station
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Field Agent Trevis Hairston of the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner, loads a body found 24 miles west of Sells in the desert, case no. 10-1277, at the Tohono O'odham Nation Police Department station in Sells, Ariz. The body was recovered 24 miles west of Sells, put in a body bag by a Tohono O'odham Detective and driven to the Police station for the transfer.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Looking Over ID Card
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Field Agent Trevis Hairston, looks at the ID of a body, case no. 10-1277, found 24 miles west of Sells in the desert on the Tohono O'odham Nation, at the Medical Examiner. The person had a fake Mexican ID card made but told family members of the fake name, the Office was able to connect the dots and properly ID the Honduarn man.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
Photos From Home
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Photos found in the backpack of case no. 10-1277 found 24 miles west of Sells in the desert on the Tohono O'odham Nation. The Office has handled nearly 1,700 border death related bodies since 2001.
Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star
