1 recovered body was previously deported immigrant

3 bodies found in canal near Gila Bend

Posted: 01/07/2011
Last Updated: 55 minutes ago
By: Associated Press

GILA BEND, AZ - Authorities say one of three bodies pulled from a canal west of Phoenix last month was that of an illegal immigrant who had been previously caught and send back to Mexico.

Divers from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office recovered the bodies on Dec. 22 from a canal near Gila Bend.

Sheriff's officials didn't release the names or genders of any of the three victims Friday. But they say all of them were illegal immigrants, one was 17 years old and there's no immediate record of capture or deportation for two of them.

The three went missing Dec. 16 after a sheriff's deputy pulled over a sedan carrying at least six illegal immigrants on a traffic violation. All ran away from the vehicle and made their way into the canal. Three were later found alive by deputies.

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_ce ... -immigrant