NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Two men from Mexico were sentenced to federal prison in the United States for their roles as foot guides in a human smuggling operation that resulted in the death of a 26-year-old woman who was left behind in the New Mexico desert.
On August 7, 2024, United States Border Patrol agents in Santa Teresa discovered 13 undocumented people hiding in the desert near New Mexico State Road 9 after they illegally entered the United States from Mexico, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico.
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Agents later learned that another individual traveling with the group had been left behind and needed medical attention. When agents responded to the area, they located 26-year-old Evelyn Esmeralda Villalta-Marquez dead in the desert…