Man injured while being smuggled into US is left to die beside road, Texas cops say

A man was left to die in the brush in Texas while being smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico, police say.

Border patrol agents called police after they discovered a man’s body on the side of road in Rio Grande City on Aug. 26, officials said in a Sept. 10 news release.

The man — later identified as 47-year-old Mauricio Zuniga Gamboa — had a shirt wrapped around his head with a blood stain showing through, according to police.

During an investigation, police learned that Jesus Gerardo Davila Jr, 21, had been paid “a couple thousand dollars” to make arrangements to smuggle Gamboa across the Rio Grande River into the U.S., police said.

To do so, Davila contacted an alleged smuggler named Fernando Martinez Perez, also known as El Venado, according to police.

As the three men attempted to cross into the country, Gamboa started to feel sick, according to police. At one point during their journey, Gamboa fell and hit his head while trying to climb over a wall, police said.

From there, Gamboa’s condition deteriorated and Davila and Perez removed him from their vehicle and dumped him in the brush where he was later discovered by border patrol agents, according to police.

After, Davila dropped off Perez at the port of entry in Hidalgo before returning to Rio Grande City, where he cleaned both the inside and outside of his vehicle at a car wash, police said.

Davila was arrested and charged with first degree smuggling of persons and third degree tampering of physical evidence, both felonies, according to police.

Officials are still searching for Perez, and there is a warrant for his arrest, police said. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact investigators at (956)487-8892.