LAREDO, Texas — A South Texas medical examiner believes heat stroke may have led to the death of six people were found dead Sunday inside a boxcar in Laredo, Texas.
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Authorities are working to identify the deceased, police said, confirming only that five men and one woman were found. The Union Pacific boxcar was located at a rail yard in Laredo, Texas, a city close to the Mexican border.
Dr. Corinne Stern, the Webb County Medical Examiner, is conducting autopsies and completed one for a 29-year-old Mexican woman who died of hyperthermia, or heat stroke. “I’ve ruled that an accidental death,” she said. “I believe that the remaining individuals probably all succumbed to heat stroke as well, but their exams are not completed at this time, so I will not rule on their cause and manner yet.”
Laredo police said they were notified by workers who were inspecting the cars and responded to the scene with other first responders around 3:30 p.m. local time. However, no survivors were found.
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Autopsies will be performed to help determine the cause and manner of death.
Investigators with U.S. Homeland Security and Texas Rangers are assisting Laredo police in the investigation.
Union Pacific said in a statement that the company was “saddened by this incident and is working closely with law enforcement to investigate.”
Temperatures reached mid- to upper 90s Sunday afternoon, but it was unclear whether heat may have been a factor in their deaths.
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The Associated Press and KHOU contributed to this report.