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By Patti Lewis
Posted: Thursday, June 24, 2004 4:51 PM PDT
The dream of a life in the United States became a nightmare for a woman who crossed the border last weekend.
She was abandoned by her guide, sexually assaulted and said she stumbled across a dead body before finding a ranch and asking for help.
The ordeal began in an ordinary way, for illegal border crossers.
The woman, who was identified only as a 35-year-old from La Planta Cuernavaca, Mexico, arrived Friday in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico with several female family members. They met with a coyote, or people smuggler, and stayed the night in a hotel, said Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada.
They paid 2
,000 pesos, roughly $2,100, to the coyote for safe passage across the border.
As the group was traveling Saturday in a remote area west of Nogales, they were detected by United States Border Pat
rol agents. The guide told all of the mi
grants to run.
The woman fled on foot, and was able to hide and avoid capture. Some of her family members were detained by Border Patrol, Estrada said.
Alone, she kept walking. She told authorities that she came across a group of four men who were sitting on the ground. They called out to her, and she approached them.
She told Sheriff's investigators that the men held her down and raped her.
After the attack, they ran away. She ran in the opposite direction.
As she continued on foot through the remote area, she apparently found a woman's corpse. She was later able to give a description of the body and its location, Estrada said.
She waited by the body for help, but none came. She awoke Sunday morning, and continued w
alking. Eventually, she found a house on the Clark Ranch, near PeÃԚ±a Blanca Lake. Residents at the home called the Sheriff's Office.
Deputies arrived on scene, and spoke to the woman about
wha
t had happened. Sheriff's investigators also interviewed her. She r
efused medical attention and did not want to be examined for evidence of sexual assault, Estrada said.
She was turned over to the Mexican Consulate.
Search and rescue personnel combed the area until late Sunday evening, but were not able to find the body, or suspects in the alleged sexual assault. The search was called off at 10 p.m., and was started again at 5:30 a.m. Monday.
Estrada said the search was officially concluded on Tuesday with no results.
Estrada said the report represented a disturbing trend across the international border: increasing instances of sexual assault. He added that he believes most cases of rape go unreported.
"Obviously, these individuals are taking advantage of vulnerable p
eople, especially women."
"It's just despicable what they're doing."
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/articl.../news/news3.txt
By Patti Lewis
Posted: Thursday, June 24, 2004 4:51 PM PDT
The dream of a life in the United States became a nightmare for a woman who crossed the border last weekend.
She was abandoned by her guide, sexually assaulted and said she stumbled across a dead body before finding a ranch and asking for help.
The ordeal began in an ordinary way, for illegal border crossers.
The woman, who was identified only as a 35-year-old from La Planta Cuernavaca, Mexico, arrived Friday in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico with several female family members. They met with a coyote, or people smuggler, and stayed the night in a hotel, said Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada.
They paid 2
,000 pesos, roughly $2,100, to the coyote for safe passage across the border.
As the group was traveling Saturday in a remote area west of Nogales, they were detected by United States Border Pat
rol agents. The guide told all of the mi
grants to run.
The woman fled on foot, and was able to hide and avoid capture. Some of her family members were detained by Border Patrol, Estrada said.
Alone, she kept walking. She told authorities that she came across a group of four men who were sitting on the ground. They called out to her, and she approached them.
She told Sheriff's investigators that the men held her down and raped her.
After the attack, they ran away. She ran in the opposite direction.
As she continued on foot through the remote area, she apparently found a woman's corpse. She was later able to give a description of the body and its location, Estrada said.
She waited by the body for help, but none came. She awoke Sunday morning, and continued w
alking. Eventually, she found a house on the Clark Ranch, near PeÃԚ±a Blanca Lake. Residents at the home called the Sheriff's Office.
Deputies arrived on scene, and spoke to the woman about
wha
t had happened. Sheriff's investigators also interviewed her. She r
efused medical attention and did not want to be examined for evidence of sexual assault, Estrada said.
She was turned over to the Mexican Consulate.
Search and rescue personnel combed the area until late Sunday evening, but were not able to find the body, or suspects in the alleged sexual assault. The search was called off at 10 p.m., and was started again at 5:30 a.m. Monday.
Estrada said the search was officially concluded on Tuesday with no results.
Estrada said the report represented a disturbing trend across the international border: increasing instances of sexual assault. He added that he believes most cases of rape go unreported.
"Obviously, these individuals are taking advantage of vulnerable p
eople, especially women."
"It's just despicable what they're doing."
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/articl.../news/news3.txt