In partnership with the Pima County Medical Examiner’s Office, we have created an updated migrant death map, formally known as the Arizona OpenGIS Initiative for Deceased Migrants. The map is searchable. Viewers may see the exact location where each migrant body has been found, along other information, such as the name and gender of the deceased (if known and if the family has been notified), date of discovery, and cause of death.

1981-2023 Recorded Migrant Deaths

Please Note:

Medical examiners in Pima and Maricopa Counties determine which recovered remains are Undocumented Border Crossers (deceased migrants).  Arizona's border with Mexico is approximately 400 miles long, and migrant remains have been discovered as far as 75 miles north of Arizona's border with Mexico. Due to the vastness of the territory and the millions of acres of desolate desert that migrants traverse, the sad reality is that a substantial percentage of human remains will never be recovered. It's especially heartbreaking to note that, according to medical examiners, more than 1,560 decedents remain unidentified as of July 2024.

Lastly, it's important to understand that many sets of human remains most recently recovered are in fact those of persons who died in the desert  from one year to many years ago. The answer to the question of the age of human remains can be viewed under the column "Post Mortem Interval" when looking at the data given with the "Map of Migrant Mortality."

Our hope is that by collecting and sharing this data with policymakers, non-governmental organizations, and the public, it will serve as a source of truth about the extent of migrant lives lost in the Arizona borderlands.