Autopsy shows heat killed man found near Redford

By BENJAMIN WERMUND

FAR WEST TEXAS – Autopsy results confirmed the body found last month in a creek north of Redford is that of Teofilo Rodriguez Anchondo, 54, of Chihuahua, Mexico.

Anchondo died from heat stroke, the autopsy showed.

“It was accidental, it was due to the high temperatures,” Chief Presidio Sheriff Deputy Joel Nuñez said.

The Mexican Consulate is working to identify Anchondo’s family, and his body is being transported back to Chihuahua.

Anchondo’s was the third body to be found the area in less than two months this summer. He was discovered in a dry creek bed outside of Redford July 21.

A Mexican ID card was found on the body, identifying Anchondo, but the body was sent for autopsy because the heat and dry conditions had made it difficult to match the body with the picture on the card.

“Due to decomposition we couldn’t really identify him,” Nuñez, who was the first deputy at the scene, said at the time.

Police said at the time they believed Anchondo was alone at the time of his death.

“It appeared he had laid down to rest and he didn’t get up again,” Nunez said.

Anchondo was an undocumented immigrant.

Two other bodies were found in the region earlier this summer. Big Bend National Park visitors discovered a body in the park on June 5, and the body of Victor Adan Orozco-Garcia, 24, was found on a ranch in Presidio County July 9.

“The exposure to heat is making the difference,” Nunez said when police discovered Anchondo. “It does play a factor in finding these bodies.”