Two Mexican nationals were sentenced to federal prison on July 20 for their roles as foot guides in a human smuggling operation that resulted in the death of a 26-year-old woman who was left behind in the New Mexico desert.
According to court documents, United States Border Patrol agents discovered 13 undocumented noncitizens hiding near New Mexico State Road 9 on August 7, 2024, after they illegally entered the United States from Mexico. Agents later learned that another individual traveling with the group had been left behind and needed medical attention. When agents responded to the area, they located Evelyn Esmeralda Villalta-Marquez deceased in the desert. The Office of the Medical Investigator determined her cause of death was hyperthermia due to environmental heat exposure.
During their investigation, agents found that Gustavo Joachin-Hernandez, age 37 and previously deported from the United States, and Israel Gonzalez-Cruz, age 36 and illegally present in the country, acted as foot guides for a group of twelve undocumented noncitizens. They led them through desert terrain for approximately five and a half hours in temperatures reaching about 97 degrees Fahrenheit. Joachin-Hernandez admitted that Villalta-Marquez struggled with the heat and he assisted her to a pickup location but left her behind when she could not keep up. He also admitted he had worked as a foot guide since November 2023 and expected payment of $2,000 Mexican pesos per person successfully smuggled.
Joachin-Hernandez and Gonzalez-Cruz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport an illegal alien and received sentences of forty-six months in prison. After serving their sentences, both will be subject to deportation.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan G. McRae of Homeland Security Investigations El Paso announced these sentences. HSI Las Cruces investigated this case with assistance from United States Border Patrol.