Authorities said Tuesday the skeletal remains found in Arizona last week may have belonged to victims of murder, according to the Associated Press.
The remains were discovered approximately 12 miles away from Sells, Arizona—a town located 130 miles outside of Phoenix. They were on the Tohono O’odham Reservations in a section commonly used by smugglers doing business between the United States and Mexico.
According to Pima County Chief Medical Examiner Greg Hess the remains were more properly viewed Tuesday after the body bags were opened. Hess said the injuries indicated by the remains suggested foul play.
"Some have broken bones and they're not breaks that you would see after death," he said. "They're likely the result of firearms and blunt-force injuries."
Hess added the bodies could have been sitting in the smuggling location up to 12 months before they were found.
"We can't determine if they are all males yet," said Hess, also mentioning the possibility all five could have been adults. However, there is no way to know how old each person was at the time of death.
"We're trying to sort it out. It's going to take us some time," he said.
According to Hess, the deceased were most likely not from the United States due to the clothes they were wearing.
After the remains were found on May 28, Hess said the situation did not appear to be like the more common border crossing deaths.
"It's not a typical migrant death site. Usually that's people laying under a tree because it got too hot, and they're on the surface of the ground and nobody tried to bury them,” he said at the time. "The remains were partially covered with rocks and we're not sure if that's an attempt to hide (them) or if somebody just buried them there for some other reason ... or whether or not that indicates foul play or what's going on."
According to Joseph Delgado, the Tohono O’odham police chief, the investigation is ongoing.
