FALFURRIAS, Texas (AP) - A South Texas county criticized by human rights groups for not getting DNA samples from unidentified illegal immigrants who died traversing ranches is changing the way it handles such cases.
Brooks County Justice of the Peace Oralia "Lali" Morales says county officials and law enforcement officers have agreed that DNA testing should be done when identification isn't found with the remains.
The Corpus Christi Caller-Times reported Thursday that DNA samples will go to anthropologists at Baylor University to help locate immigrant families.
Illegal immigrants typically trek for days through the brush to circumvent a Border Patrol checkpoint about an hour north of the border with Mexico.
Brooks County has struggled to keep up with the deaths after 129 bodies were found last year. More than 30 bodies remain unidentified.
