Six People Found Dead in Union Pacific Boxcar at Laredo, Texas Rail Yard

Six people were found dead inside a Union Pacific cargo train boxcar at a rail yard in Laredo, Texas, near the U.S.-Mexico border, after a Union Pacific employee called police about a “trailer box car with the discovery of multiple casualties in the car” around 3 p.m. local time.

“The bodies were found in a Union Pacific train at a rail yard in Laredo, around 160 miles south of San Antonio, just after 3:30 p”

ABC11 Raleigh-Durham

Authorities said officers arrived shortly afterward and confirmed all six people were dead, with the Webb County medical examiner to conduct autopsies to determine the cause and manner of death.

ABC11 Raleigh-Durham

People reported that on Sunday, May 10, at 3:21 p.m. local time, authorities received the call about a Union Pacific boxcar with possible casualties inside at a rail yard in Laredo, and discovered six deceased people inside the train car.

Temperatures in Laredo reached the high 90s on Sunday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service, and ABC11 Raleigh-Durham said temperatures were in the low-mid 90s though it was unclear whether heat was a factor.

Laredo police spokesperson Joe Baeza told reporters that the case was in an early stage, saying, "It's a very early phase of the investigation. There’s not a lot to reveal right now."

ABC11 Raleigh-Durham reported that the bodies were discovered during a routine railcar inspection just after 3:30 p.m. local time, and that no survivors were found.

Austin American-Statesman

CNN reported that the bodies were found in a Union Pacific train at a rail yard in Laredo around 160 miles south of San Antonio, and that the immigration status and ages of the deceased were not yet known.

In a statement shared with multiple outlets, Union Pacific said it was “saddened by this incident and is working closely with law enforcement to investigate,” while police said the circumstances of the deaths were unknown and an investigation was underway.

Officials said the Webb County Medical Examiner’s Office would conduct autopsies, and NBC News quoted Jose Baeza describing the rail yard as “Imagine a loading dock at a seaport, but for trains,” where cars are loaded and unloaded.

“Watch CBS News Six people were found dead Sunday in a Union Pacific Railroad boxcar in Laredo, Texas, a city on the Mexican border, police there said”

CBS News

People reported that police had yet to confirm the genders, nationalities and ages of the victims, and that the cause of death should be released by the medical examiner's office later this week.

ABC11 Raleigh-Durham said Laredo police received a call around 3 p.m. from an employee at the Union Pacific rail yard, and that the bodies were discovered during a routine rail car inspection with no survivors found.

The discovery also landed during extreme heat, with People citing temperatures in Laredo reaching the high 90s and CBS News reporting temperatures reached 97 degrees on Sunday afternoon, while authorities had not said whether heat exposure played a role.