From a distance, the ghost-pale infant looked lifeless, wrapped in a blanket and tucked in the arms of a woman walking slowly along the steep road that tracks the Arizona-Mexico
Her name is Ireny Perez Escalante. She was found dead in Sierra Vista, Arizona, on Sept. 28, 2020. She was 23 years old. More than two years later, she was remembered by name on All Souls' Day at a local parish.
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The Office of the Medical Examiner reported a near-record breaking year for undocumented border-crosser deaths in 2020, with 220 remains recovered in Pima County.
On Oct. 8, County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry reported 177 UBC remains recovered in the first three quarters of 2020, and projected 200 by year s end.
The county defines a UBC in the Medical Examiner s annual reports as foreign nationals who cross the border without permission and die. The county began recording UBC deaths in 2000.
The Medical Examiner s Office reported the 222 UBC deaths in 2010 was the highest on record.