Sealed Freight Car Hides Six Bodies in Texas Railyard — Disturbing Discovery Stuns Investigators

SIX people have been found dead inside a sealed train car, sparking a major police investigation.

The grisly discovery was made during a railyard inspection on Sunday afternoon.
Six people were found dead inside a sealed Union Pacific boxcar at a Laredo, TexasCredit: Unknown
 
Police have not said where the railcar had come from or how long it had been sealedCredit: Unknown
The bodies were found inside a Union Pacific boxcar in Laredo, Texas.

Police said the railcar was checked just after 2:30 pm near mile marker 13.

A Union Pacific employee who loads and unloads train cars reportedly found the bodies around 3 pm local time.

First responders rushed to the scene but all six people were pronounced dead.

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No one was found alive inside the boxcar, officials said.

Investigators have not yet released the victims’ names.

Webb County Medical Examiner Dr. Corinne Stern said the victims included five men and one woman.

She said at least one victim was from Mexico.

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The woman was 29 years old and died from hyperthermia, or overheating, according to Stern.

But Stern said investigators suspect they may have died in similar conditions, the New York Times reported.

They have also not said how the six people died. Police said the probe remains in its earliest stages.

“At this point it’s a very early phase of the investigation,” Laredo Police spokesperson Joe Baeza said.

“There’s not a lot to reveal right now because we just began the investigation so far.”

Baeza said autopsies will likely be carried out to determine what happened.

“What will probably likely proceed from here is an autopsy will probably take place as to determine the cause and manner of the death of the victims in this case,” he said.

“From there, we’ll go ahead and proceed with other facets of the investigation.”

Some of the victims had ID cards and cellphones, which were turned over to immigration officials, Stern said.

The Mexican consul was working to contact the woman’s family and arrange for her body to be returned home, she said.

The medical examiner’s office is also contacting Honduran consular officials to see if the other victims had relatives there.

“We believe that some of the individuals are from Mexico and Honduras,” Stern said.

Officials said temperatures were in the low to mid-90s on Sunday afternoon.

But authorities have not confirmed whether heat played any role in the deaths.

Law enforcement is also investigating whether the victims were migrants trying to evade immigration authorities.

Union Pacific said it is cooperating with law enforcement as the investigation continues.

“Union Pacific is saddened by this incident and is working closely with law enforcement to investigate,” spokesperson Mike Jaixen said.

The company has not released further details about how the victims ended up inside the boxcar.

Police have not said where the railcar had come from or how long it had been sealed.

Laredo Mayor Victor Treviño said the tragedy had shaken the border community.

“Our hearts are with the families and loved ones affected,” Treviño said.

“We don’t want to see any incidents like this. We’re all humans.”

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The investigation remains ongoing.

Laredo is one of Texas’ largest trade gateways with Mexico, accounting for about 62% of the state’s land port trade, or $340 billion, according to 2024 data from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.