The mother of a Guatemalan migrant spoke with Telemundo 40 after her son's body was found and identified by authorities in Mexico's Tamaulipas state.
As it was reported this week, the Civil Protection Agency of Tamaulipas announced the discovery of two migrant's bodies in the waters of the Rio Bravo close to the municipality of Miguel Alemán.
Authorities identified Dennis Fuentes, 18, from a bible he was carrying bearing his name.
Fuentes formed part of a group of at least seven people, who after being taken by surprise by border patrol officials on Tuesday, threw themselves back into the water to return to Mexico to escape detention. Nevertheless, death reached two of them.
According to his mother, Fuentes went to the United States to reunite with his father and to work. Now she worries about her nephew, Milson Esay Velásquez, who accompanied Dennis and remains missing.
Fuentes' tragic outcome and that of another man in his group who has not been identified happens to some migrants that cross the river with the hope of reaching the American dream.
For that reason, U.S. Border Patol has implemented a program to prevent, localize, identify and recover deceased or missing migrants.
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Under the program, four Mexican consulates along with Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador work together to identify the remains of deceased immigrants. In addition, they verify if their information appears in a national database.
"The first step a family member should take is to go to their state department to report that their loved one is missing or if they've obtained information that they've died," Elizabeth Gámez, supervisor for the Missing Migrant Program, said.
If you have a family member that's lost or missing at the border, you can send an email to the Border Patrol at rgvmmi@cbp.dhs.gov
