San Diego Border Patrol Agent Dies In Line Of Duty

San Diego Border Patrol Agent Dies In Line Of Duty

POSTED: 8:12 pm PDT July 27, 2007
UPDATED: 8:27 pm PDT July 27, 2007


SAN DIEGO -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said a Border Patrol agent died in the line of duty.

According to a news release, 31-year-old Eric Cabral died on Thursday. Cabral died at a local hospital after he was extracted from Jacumba, Calif. Cabral was conducting patrol duties on foot near the De Anza Springs Resort when the incident occurred, the news release stated.

Authorities said Cabral and his partner were tracking a group of suspected illegal aliens north of Interstate 8 near Jacumba when they separated. They then lost radio contact, and another agent found Cabral unresponsive near the De Anza Springs Resort, the news release stated. Cabral was taken by air to a local hospital, but medical personnel were unable to revive him.


Cabral began working for the Border Patrol in September 2006.

San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Michael Fisher expressed his condolences to family, friends, and co-workers of Cabral.

"Agent Cabral lost his life serving and protecting the nation, and on behalf of the Border Patrol, we send our sincerest thoughts and prayers to his family during this difficult period," Fisher said in the news release.

Information regarding the memorial service will be provided at a later time, as arrangements have not yet been made, the release stated.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/13773527/detail.html

Okay, I give up, exactly how did he die?

This is very tragic, however, I wish the story would have been a little more informative. If it would have been an illegal immigrant SOB story, it would have been full of information. :?

I AM SO SUSUPICIOUS THESE DAYS. HOW WAS HE KILLED? AND THEY DONT SAY HOW HE WAS KILLED....WTF? I WANT TO KNOW THE FULL DETAILS OF HOW THIS MAN DIED.

Oh my Lord! This is so sad, so very sad.
This was a agent who worked in my area.
I will pray for his family.
I know there are few details about his death but please do not go to extremes here, it has been very hot out here, temps in the hundereds so at this time we have no idea of what occured.
I promise to check into this and will post details later.
Mean while I'm sure his family could use your prays as well.

redpony wrote:

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HOW WAS HE KILLED? AND THEY DONT SAY HOW HE WAS KILLED....WTF?

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Was he murdered by illegal immigrants? Perhaps the border patrol and/or media doesn't want to rile the natives. :roll:

Mountaindog wrote:

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Mean while I'm sure his family could use your prays as well.

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That goes without saying, regardless of how he died. You're right, there are probably a number of ways he could have died. It could have been an accidental tumble down a ledge, snake bite, heart attack, etc. I just wish the border patrol would have reported the cause. Perhaps the family hasn't been notified yet, that could explain it.

OK folks lets have a little respect here please!
I said I would look into this and post the results and I will!
Right now all we have is a dead agent with no idea of the cause of death so before we go making accusations lets get some facts first OK.
I will post the facts as soon as I can.
MD

Well said MD. We should not jump to conclusions.
It was a sad story to post and prayers to his family.

We all are sad.

I don't see it as jumping to conclusions to want to know how he died and it isn't disrespectful, either.

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Originally Posted by nntrixie

We all are sad.

I don't see it as jumping to conclusions to want to know how he died and it isn't disrespectful, either.

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Agree!

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OK folks lets have a little respect here please!
I said I would look into this and post the results and I will!
Right now all we have is a dead agent with no idea of the cause of death so before we go making accusations lets get some facts first OK.
I will post the facts as soon as I can.
MD

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YOU ARE RIGHT MOUNTAIN. I GUESS WITH THE JAILING OF THE BP2 AND OTHER BIZARRE HAPPENINGS....I AM SUSPICUOUS RIGHT AWAY. BUT YOU ARE RIGHT. I FORGOT ABOUT THE HEAT DOWN THERE. PLEASE POST WHEN YOU HAVE INFO ON THIS. WE WOULD ALL APPRECIATE IT.

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Originally Posted by redpony353

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OK folks lets have a little respect here please!
I said I would look into this and post the results and I will!
Right now all we have is a dead agent with no idea of the cause of death so before we go making accusations lets get some facts first OK.
I will post the facts as soon as I can.
MD

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YOU ARE RIGHT MOUNTAIN. I GUESS WITH THE JAILING OF THE BP2 AND OTHER BIZARRE HAPPENINGS....I AM SUSPICUOUS RIGHT AWAY. BUT YOU ARE RIGHT. I FORGOT ABOUT THE HEAT DOWN THERE. PLEASE POST WHEN YOU HAVE INFO ON THIS. WE WOULD ALL APPRECIATE IT.

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I promised I would find out what happened and I will but with the weekend I may not learn anything until Monday and I will post my findings as soon as I can.

Agent dies; heat might be to blame

By Pauline Repard
STAFF WRITER

July 28, 2007

A 31-year-old Border Patrol agent died of unknown causes Thursday after tracking suspected illegal border-crossers near Jacumba, federal authorities said yesterday.

Agent Eric Cabral, who joined the Border Patrol in September 2005, worked out of the agency's Boulevard station.

It appeared that Cabral died of dehydration or heat stroke, though he had a small amount of water left in his canteen, Border Patrol Supervisory Agent Richard Smith said.

Smith said he believes Cabral is the first agent in San Diego County to die in this manner, if an autopsy confirms that his death was heat-related.

Cabral and his partner began tracking a group of people through rocky, mountainous terrain north of Interstate 8 and Carrizo Gorge Road about 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

The agents spent most of the day apart but in constant radio contact. Temperatures topped 100 degrees, Smith said.

About 4:30 p.m., Smith said, the two agents met and agreed to give up tracking for the day. Each headed toward his patrol vehicle, parked in different spots.

When Cabral didn't appear 10 to 15 minutes later or answer his radio, his partner summoned other agents to look for him. They found him, unresponsive, near a set of railroad tracks about a quarter-mile from the De Anza Springs Resort. Cabral was flown by Mercy Air to a hospital, where he was declared dead about 6:40 p.m., Smith said.

“It's a tragic reminder of the risks agents face every day,â€

Thanks for this update Jean, if I learn anything new I will post it on here.
MD

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Originally Posted by MountainDog

Thanks for this update Jean, if I learn anything new I will post it on here.
MD

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You're welcome MD. Yes, please let us know what you find out.

Border Patrol Agent's Death Under Investigation

POSTED: 12:15 pm PDT July 28, 2007
UPDATED: 1:39 pm PDT July 28, 2007


SAN DIEGO -- A border patrol agent died Friday in the rough desert mountains east of San Diego while tracking a group of suspected illegal aliens, the agency said Saturday.


Eric Cabral, 31, a San Diego native, was separated from his partner, and officials lost radio contact with him Friday. He was found on the ground and passed out near the De Anza Springs Resort near Jacumba and flown by Mercy Air to a local hospital.


Cabral was pronounced dead at 6:40 p.m. Cause of death has not been determined, but the case is not being treated as a homicide investigation, according to the county medical examiner's office.


Cabral joined the agency on Sept. 26, 2005, officials said.


"Agent Cabral lost his life serving and protecting the nation, and on behalf of the Border Patrol, we send our sincerest thoughts and prayers to his family during this difficult period," said San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Michael Fisher.


Information regarding the memorial service will be provided later, officials said.

http://www.10news.com/news/13774925/det ... d&psp=news

Border Patrol agent dies in Calif. of apparent heat illness

Monday, July 30, 2007

(07-30) 18:07 PDT SAN DIEGO, (AP) --


The death of a 31-year-old Border Patrol agent last week in a rugged, mountainous area could mark the agency's first weather-related fatality, authorities said Monday.


Eric Cabral died Thursday from an apparent heat-related illness. He had been pursuing a group of suspected illegal immigrants on foot on a day when temperatures topped 100 degrees.


"He was exhibiting signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke," said Richard Smith, an agency spokesman. "We're fairly confident it was heat related."


Four agents have died from heart attacks while on duty, but Cabral appears to be the first to die as a result of the weather, said Ramon Revera, another angency spokesman.


The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office has not determined the cause of death.


Cabral and a partner were pursuing migrants for the most of the day near Jacumba, a forested area about 60 miles east of San Diego, Smith said.


Working separately and communicating by radio, they abandoned the chase late afternoon. The partner called for help when Cabral did not respond to his radio call.


Cabral was unresponsive when found near the De Anza Springs Resort, the agency said. He died at a nearby hospital.


Extreme temperatures kill hundreds of migrants each year in deserts and mountains along the U.S.-Mexico border.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... 749D06.DTL

Thanks for the update Jean.
I talked to a guy I know out here and he said CPR was started and after the air ambulance arrived they got a pulse back, his heart quit later and they were unable to revive him. Everything that could be done, was done to try and save him.

Border Patrol mourns first agent to die from heat
By ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press Writer
News Fuze
Article Launched:08/03/2007 03:39:52 PM PDT

SAN DIEGO—The first Border Patrol agent ever to die from apparent heat-related causes while on duty was buried Friday with a 21-gun salute.
Eric Cabral, a 31-year-old fitness buff, died July 26 after collapsing on solo foot patrol in a failed pursuit of suspected illegal immigrants in the rugged mountains east of San Diego.

Hundreds of migrants perish every year from heat and cold trying to sneak across the 1,952-mile U.S.-Mexico border, but Cabral is the first Border Patrol agent believed to have been killed by extreme weather.

"Your enemy out there is not only the bad guys, it's the weather," said Don McDermott, the supervisor of Cabral's Border Patrol station. "It's like working in an oven."

Cabral's physical stamina drew the attention of instructors at the Border Patrol Academy in Artesia, N.M., where he graduated in February 2006.

"The physical trainers would yell at Eric because they thought he mocked their workouts," Julius Alatorre, a fellow Border Patrol agent and trainee, told about 500 mourners at St. Michael Catholic Church.

The temperature hit a high of only 95 degrees about three hours before Cabral collapsed but the air was muggy with scattered rain, said Philip Gonsalves, a National Weather Service meteorologist. Summer winds from Mexico typically bring tropical moisture to southwestern states.

In heavy humidity, sweat doesn't evaporate, trapping heat and causing body temperature to rise, Gonsalves said.

The San Diego County coroner's office has not determined a cause of death but Border Patrol officials have said Cabral exhibited signs of heat exhaustion or heatstroke.

Seismic sensors alerted Cabral and a colleague around 9 a.m. to a group of suspected illegal immigrants near Jacumba, a hamlet 60 miles east of San Diego that is surrounded by boulders, cactus, manzanita trees and sage brush.

Working from separate vehicles, the agents walked alone carrying heavy gear in areas without roads and kept in touch by radio, said Richard Smith, a Border Patrol spokesman. The pair abandoned the pursuit after seven hours. They met briefly, and headed separately back toward their cars.

When Cabral never showed up at a roadside meeting point, another agent who was assigned to pick him up launched a search, Smith said. Cabral was found unresponsive, with a cut on his forehead and water in his canteen. He was flown to a hospital, where he died less than three hours after his partner last saw him in apparently good shape.

Agents often walk the border solo, looking for broken twigs, footprints, overturned pebbles and other clues. They are aided by ground sensors and communicate with colleagues by radio.

At least 4,500 migrants have been found dead along the border since a U.S. government began in the mid-1990s that pushed traffic to remote deserts and mountains, said Claudia Smith of the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, a migrant advocacy group. Smith said that tally came from records she obtained from the Mexican government, but that the actual toll is even higher because some bodies are never found.

T.J. Bonner, head of a union that represents Border Patrol agents, said he was surprised that no agents had died sooner, considering how many migrants have perished.

Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, suffered heat exhaustion twice while on duty, including once while working the mountains east of San Diego in the 1980s. He said he was bedridden for three days and felt "weak as a kitten."

Since 1919, 103 Border Patrol agents have died on duty, according to The Officer Down Memorial Page Inc., which tracks law-enforcement deaths. Gunfire was the leading cause with 30 deaths, followed by automobile accidents and aircraft accidents.

Cabral, a San Diego native, earned a master's degree in physical education from Azusa Pacific University in 2003 and taught health and fitness at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, a San Diego suburb, before joining the Border Patrol.


http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_6537835

THANKS FOR THE UPDATE JEAN. THIS IS VERY SAD.

Border death stirs debate
Article Launched:08/07/2007 06:11:18 PM PDT

"Embrace heaven for us Kuya Eric, our hero. Rest in peace."

- post on Web site freerepublic.com

THAT'S just one of dozens of posts pouring onto Web sites honoring America's border patrol agents, messages left in tribute to Eric Cabral, 31, who died while on duty over the weekend from heat-related causes.

Cabral, an Azusa Pacific University graduate, obtained his master of science degree in physical education in 2003 from the local Christian college. Not only did he study the human body, he put his education into practice - he was in superb physical shape. The Associated Press reported his physical stamina impressed his superiors at the Border Patrol Academy in New Mexico, where Cabral graduated in 2006.

The ironies don't stop there.

While we often hear of suspected illegal immigrants dying during a tortuous journey through the desert and mountains between Mexico and the U.S., Cabral is the first border patrol agent to die from extreme weather. The news reports don't say enough about Border Patrol agents who work in the same heat and humidity that can define the 1,952-mile border six months or more out of the year.

Some say the combination of 95-degree heat and high humidity conspired against Cabral while chasing suspected illegal immigrants near Jacumba, a small village 60 miles east of San Diego. When he didn't rendezvous with his partner, a search was launched. His body was found with a head gash, a canteen that still had water in it next to him.

Did he overextend himself? Was he overconfident? Or was there some undisclosed medical condition? We don't have the answers to these questions.

Then there's this post from an officer at the academy where he trained: "Let Eric's untimely death remind all USBP Agents of the dangers faced by the environmental conditions under which you work each day. Let all of us strive to ensure this type of event does not occur in the future."

We would second that. But we can't say with any kind of certainty that the Border Patrol did not prepare him to work in these potentially deadly conditions. One would suppose he knew of the dangers of extreme weather.

What we do know is that Cabral died protecting America's borders. Like the fallen officers at other law enforcement agencies, he died while performing hazardous duty many of us would never be able to do. We salute his bravery and his dedication, never quitting a pursuit that went on for seven hours. Never giving up.

Would a completed border fence have prevented Cabral's death? Would more officers on the border sharing his load? Would a comprehensive guest worker program lessen the flow of illegal immigrants?

There are no hard and fast answers. Cabral's death raises only more questions in an area of U.S. policy that remains broken.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/opinions/ci_6566042