American authorities found the body of Ana Karen Vasquez-Flores on Friday near the village of Champlain and Roxham Road in the United States. The pregnant woman crossed the border illegally but never arrived at the meeting point on the other side.
Posted at 3:58 p.m.
Ana Karen Vasquez-Flores' body was found Friday in the Chazy River near the village of Champlain, New York. Village through which Roxham Road also passes, a passage known for years for the irregular crossing between the United States and Canada.
The Mexican woman traveled from Quebec to the United States last Monday, Major Nicholas Leon told La Presse. When she didn't show up at her meeting point across the border, the person who was supposed to find her alerted the authorities.
An extensive search operation that lasted several days ultimately led to the discovery of the woman's body in the river. Major Leon believes she may have drowned, but an investigation is underway to determine the cause of her death.
In all likelihood, Ana Karen Vasquez-Flores was pregnant.
Illegal crossings between the two countries are common, adds Major Leon. “Just last week we had three search operations for migrants who had entered the USA,” he emphasizes. However, the other two people were found alive.
Deadly transitions
This is not the first fatal crossing by people trying their luck in the United States from Canada this year.
On March 31, eight members of two different families of Indian and Romanian origin, including two children, died while crossing the St. Lawrence River near the Akwesasne Reservation, whose territory includes Ontario, Quebec and the United States.
On the eve of the holiday last year, Fritznel Richard, a Haitian who couldn't find work in Quebec, tried to cross the street near Roxham Road in the middle of a storm. His frozen body was found two weeks later.
In January 2022, four members of an Indian family were found near Emerson, Manitoba. These migrants, including a baby, died of cold while trying to cross into the United States.