This database and map, which includes deaths from 1998 to the present (October 2026), compiles data from numerous sources: medical examiners, coroners, justices of the peace, and sheriff’s departments, as well as two of Border Patrol’s very flawed datasets. These sources provide varying levels of detail. At minimum, they record enough location and demographic data to compare cases with Border Patrol’s data. For California, New Mexico, and El Paso, we were able to obtain a much broader scope of data, including statistics for Border Patrol-involved deaths (wall falls, use of force, pursuit, in-custody, distress, etc), whether an individual had been seeking asylum or was a US resident, and other details. We will soon release similar data for Arizona. To respect the safety and privacy of families, we have anonymized personal identifying information for all cases. This data does not account for the unknown thousands of the disappeared whose bodies have never been found, nor can it undo the loss and suffering caused by U.S. border policies, but it does provide the most comprehensive record of recovered migrant remains available.
Many of these fields and data points are a work in progress, so the public database shared here is limited; a more complete dataset will be made available to journalists, researchers, and humanitarian and advocacy groups when requested. Please reach out to media@nomoredeaths.org for access, or to interview a member of our Abuse Documentation team.