Canada/US border - Patel family died from exposure, human smuggler Steve Shand charged, 20 Jan 2022

[LadyL]

Four people, including infant, found dead near Canada/US border

"At this very early stage of the investigation, it appears that they all died due to exposure to the cold weather," MacLatchy said, adding RCMP believe the four people are connected to the group that was apprehended on the U.S. side of the border.

"We are very concerned this attempted crossing may have been facilitated in some way and that these individuals, including an infant, were left on their own in the middle of a blizzard when the weather hovered around -35C factoring in the wind," she said.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/rcmp-investigation-canada-u-s-border-manitoba-1.6321602

 

[LadyL]

A Florida man has been charged with human smuggling after the bodies of four people, including a baby and a teen, were found in Manitoba near the United States border.

Mounties say it's believed they died from exposure while trying to cross the border into the U.S. from Canada.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says the dead were a family of four Indian nationals who were separated from others in a group crossing the border.

CP NewsAlert: Man charged after four bodies found in Manitoba near border

 

[Laughing]

Just in tears. How awful!

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[dotr]

Baby, teenager among 4 found dead along Minnesota-Canada border | Bring Me The News

''The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said the bodies of a woman, man and an infant were found at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday on the Canadian side of the border, about 6 miles from Emerson, Manitoba. Authorities then also located a boy believed to be in his mid-teens.

The RCMP began searching for the group, concerned about the baby's wellbeing, at 9:24 a.m. Wednesday after U.S. Customs and Border Protection detained a group of people who crossed into the U.S. near Emerson — one of the adults had items meant for a baby, but there was no infant with them.''

''The RCMP says it appears all four people died due to exposure to the cold weather. The temperature in the area was below zero Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.''

 

[dotr]

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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/mani...omeland-security-united-states-rcmp-1.6322421
The bodies of a man, a woman and a baby were found together in one area near the town of Emerson, while the body of a teen boy was found a few metres away, RCMP said on Thursday.

Before their bodies were discovered, U.S. Border Patrol officers had stopped a 15-passenger van about one kilometre south of the international border in a rural area between the official ports of entry at Lancaster, Minn., and Pembina, N.D., according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the district of Minnesota.

The driver of that van, 47-year-old Steve Shand of Florida, was arrested and charged with human smuggling.''

"The investigation into the death of the four individuals is ongoing along with an investigation into a larger human smuggling operation of which Shand is suspected of being a part," Homeland Security special agent John Stanley said in an affidavit filed Thursday.

Larger group being transported
Shand was transporting two undocumented Indian nationals in the passenger van when he was arrested.

Five other undocumented Indian nationals were also arrested around the same time, very close to where Shand was arrested, the affidavit said.

It's believed that those seven people, and the four who died in Manitoba, were all part of the same group, but that the four had become separated from the rest.''

 

[dotr]

US-Canada border: Baby gear led police to a devastating discovery - CNN
rbbm.
"Police to potential border-crossers: 'Just don't do it'
MacLatchy told reporters she had a message for anyone else who's thinking of crossing the US-Canada border in the area, either heading south or north.
"Just don't do it," she said. "Do not listen to anyone who tells you they can get you to your destination safely. They cannot. Even with proper clothing, it's not a journey that is possible."
She noted Thursday morning's temperature inthe Emerson area: minus 41 Celsius with the windchill.
"At this temperature, your skin will freeze within minutes," she said. "I do understand that for some there may be a great need to get to another country, but this is not the way. You will be risking your life and the lives of the people you care about if you try it.''

''Authorities said the frigid temperatures had taken a toll on members of the group that had been taken into custody.
Two people had to be taken to the hospital for suspected frostbite, and one of them, a woman, may lose part of her hand, the complaint said.
Meanwhile, the complaint says there's an ongoing investigation into a larger human smuggling operation that Shand is suspected to have participated in.
One of the Indian nationals told Border Patrol agents that he had paid a significant amount of money to enter Canada from India under a fraudulently obtained student visa, according to the complaint.
He added that he didn't intend to study in Canada, the complaint says, but had planned to enter the US illegally and had crossed the border on foot expecting to be picked up by someone who was supposed to drive him to his uncle's home in Chicago.''

 

[dotr]

FWIW.
Frozen River - Wikipedia
''Frozen River is a 2008 American crime drama film written and directed by Courtney Hunt. The screenplay focuses on two working-class women who smuggle illegal immigrants from Canada to the United States. The film received two Oscar nominations: Best Actress (Melissa Leo) and Best Original Screenplay (Courtney Hunt).''

 

[dotr]

Mounties say autopsies have begun to identify family found dead near border | The Star
''Police in Gujarat — the western Indian state where the family is believed to be from — say they are investigating whether those who died are a missing family from that region.''

Descriptions of Missing Gujarat Village Family Matches With Those Found Frozen to Death in Canada (thequint.com)
''A day after reports emerged that the family of four Indians that froze to death at the United States-Canada border was from a village in Gujarat, a village called Dingucha of Kalol Tehsil in Gandhinagar district became the centre of attention.

According to The Indian Express, police showed up at the village on Saturday, 22 January, and contacted a man whose family members had recently travelled to Canada and who are now missing.

Police and relatives said the descriptions of the missing family members from Dingucha village – a 39-year-old man, his 37-year-old wife, and their 17-year-old daughter and four-year-old son – matched those of the four Indians found frozen to death in Manitoba, Canada, on Wednesday.''

 

[spangled]

This has made me cry. Imagine being so desperate for a different life, that this is your best option.

 

[LadyL]

identified:

On January 26, autopsies were completed and the identities of the victims were confirmed. They are:

• Jagdishkumar Patel, a 39-year-old male
• Vaishaliben Patel, a 37-year-old female
• Vihangi Patel, an 11-year-old female
• Dharmik Patel, a 3-year-old male

They are all from the same family and are Indian nationals, police said.

The People Who Were Found Dead At The Canada-US Border Have Been Identified As A Family

 

[dotr]

What happened between the time this family arrived in Toronto — then died days later, frozen in Manitoba near the U.S. border? | The Star

''Amid news of related arrests of six people in India, the RCMP also appealed to Canadians for help in piecing together the movement of the family during their six days of travel between Toronto and the border town of Emerson, Man., where they were found dead a week ago, just 12 metres from the border.''

“This is an extended period of time for a family who is unfamiliar with Canada to be travelling across the country. A part of the investigation is determining whether this travel was facilitated in some way by an individual or individuals,” Hill told reporters.

“It is our belief that people have interactions with the Patel family during their stay in this hotel, gas station or restaurant, for example. We need anyone had interaction with the Patel family or has information about their journey to the border to think about what they went through.”

 

[dotr]

Feb 17 2022
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/steve-shand-human-smuggling-indictment-1.6355547

''A grand jury in Minneapolis has indicted a man who was arrested near the Manitoba-U.S. border last month, accused of involvement in a human smuggling operation

According to the United States Attorneys Office, grand juries are groups of citizens empowered to determine whether enough evidence exists to justify a prosecutor laying felony charges.

An indictment does not mean that a person has been proven guilty — it is an allegation, and Shand is presumed innocent until proven guilty, Thursday's news release says.''

 

[moonriverfarm]

So where were they trying to get to - the US? They were dropped off in Toronto but from where?

 

[dotr]

So where were they trying to get to - the US? They were dropped off in Toronto but from where?

Who helped them? Family from India flew to Toronto and froze to death in Manitoba trying to walk to the U.S. | National Post
Jan 27 2022
''Manitoba RCMP Chief Supt. Rob Hill said the family arrived in Canada at Toronto by air on Jan. 12 and then travelled to Manitoba. They arrived in Emerson, near the U.S. border, shortly before their fateful trek.

Someone drove the family to the border and then left the scene

“There was no abandoned vehicle located on the Canadian side of the border. This indicates that someone drove the family to the border and then left the scene,” Hill said.''

The RCMP is trying to trace “every aspect of their travel” from Toronto on Jan. 12, to Emerson, Man., on Jan 18 and asked the public to help.'

 

[Ozoner]

Who helped them? Family from India flew to Toronto and froze to death in Manitoba trying to walk to the U.S. | National Post
Jan 27 2022
''Manitoba RCMP Chief Supt. Rob Hill said the family arrived in Canada at Toronto by air on Jan. 12 and then travelled to Manitoba. They arrived in Emerson, near the U.S. border, shortly before their fateful trek.

Someone drove the family to the border and then left the scene

“There was no abandoned vehicle located on the Canadian side of the border. This indicates that someone drove the family to the border and then left the scene,” Hill said.''

The RCMP is trying to trace “every aspect of their travel” from Toronto on Jan. 12, to Emerson, Man., on Jan 18 and asked the public to help.'

I hope they catch all of the big fish in this operation.

They've got the driver of the van on the US side, but he's a little fish.

 

[Charlot123]

Just in tears. How awful!

jmho ymmv lrr

Agree... poor family, totally unused to Canada's cold climate... I wonder if someone took the money and just left them behind?

 

[Ozoner]

Agree... poor family, totally unused to Canada's cold climate... I wonder if someone took the money and just left them behind?

It's apparent that whomever took their money had no regard for their lives.
The problem is, the leaders of this organization are probably over in Gujarat, in India, and the Indian government is rife with bribery. The people responsible will likely bribe their way out of this if it's left to the government of India. I hope the U.S. goes after the ringleaders and brings them over here to stand trial. That's the only way there will ever be any justice.

 

[Charlot123]

It's apparent that whomever took their money had no regard for their lives.
The problem is, the leaders of this organization are probably over in Gujarat, in India, and the Indian government is rife with bribery. The people responsible will likely bribe their way out of this if it's left to the government of India. I hope the U.S. goes after the ringleaders and brings them over here to stand trial. That's the only way there will ever be any justice.

I need to see the numbers to understand what drove these people. Gujarat is the fourth wealthiest state in the country, but maybe, there is still huge income gap between urban and village dwellers? Or, could it be so that these people were deceived by the smugglers, who promised easy crossing of the the border? (A totally different case comes to mind, that of Colombian human smugglers who killed two Cubans they were bringing to the US.) Mere Googling could show winter temperatures in Manitoba, with its harsh continental climate. So these poor people must have been promised a car trip, right? Not a ski one… And they must have paid a lot. So sad.

 

[Ozoner]

I need to see the numbers to understand what drove these people. Gujarat is the fourth wealthiest state in the country, but maybe, there is still huge income gap between urban and village dwellers? Or, could it be so that these people were deceived by the smugglers, who promised easy crossing of the the border? (A totally different case comes to mind, that of Colombian human smugglers who killed two Cubans they were bringing to the US.) Mere Googling could show winter temperatures in Manitoba, with its harsh continental climate. So these poor people must have been promised a car trip, right? Not a ski one… And they must have paid a lot. So sad.

There is a great deal of income inequality in India—much worse than in the U.S. The wealth is concentrated in the hands of a small number of people, and most of the people live in extreme poverty. This family couldn't have been too poor, or they wouldn't have been able to afford to pay the costs of coming to the U.S. If they were wealthy, they would have been able to get tourist visas or (if they knew anyone in the U.S.) visitor visas. So they must have been working poor who scraped together everything they had to pay to come over here.

 

[Charlot123]

There is a great deal of income inequality in India—much worse than in the U.S. The wealth is concentrated in the hands of a small number of people, and most of the people live in extreme poverty. This family couldn't have been too poor, or they wouldn't have been able to afford to pay the costs of coming to the U.S. If they were wealthy, they would have been able to get tourist visas or (if they knew anyone in the U.S.) visitor visas. So they must have been working poor who scraped together everything they had to pay to come over here.

Yes, exactly like the couple from Cuba. (They inherited their mom’s house and sold it to pay the Colombian scums, who killed them). Sheer horror and lack of humanity, all such cases.