Remains found at Torrey Pines State Beach identified as 10-year-old girl
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office said remains that were found on Torrey Pines State Beach last week belonged to a 10-year-old girl who was one of those on board a panga that capsized in Del Mar earlier this month.
The remains were found by a passerby on May 21 who immediately contacted law enforcement.
On Thursday, the Medical Examiner's office confirmed the remains belonged to a 10-year-old girl named Mahi Brijeshkumar Patel.
PREVIOUS: 5 arrested after deadly smuggling incident off San Diego coast; girl remains missing
Patel was one of the passengers of a panga that had capsized on May 5 at Del Mar Beach, according to the medical examiner's office. The office added that Patel was missing and could not be located when law enforcement and other emergency personnel arrived.
The vessel was found near the 12000 block of North Torrey Pines Road and triggered a multi-agency response from the San Diego Police Department, Del Mar lifeguards, Border Patrol agents, the United States Coast Guard and other local authorities.
According to local officials, as many as 18 people were believed to have been on the boat at the time, including alleged smugglers.
Jorge Sanchez, deputy fire chief with the Encinitas Fire Department, confirmed that at least three people were killed in the incident.
Three bodies were recovered, including a 14-year-old boy from India identified in court records as P.P.B.
Eight of the nine migrants who had been missing from the boat were accounted for, with the exception of P.P.B's 10-year-old sister, authorities previously stated.
On Wednesday, May 21, a passerby at Torrey Pines State Beach came across human remains which were later turned over to authorities.
The medical examiner stated Patel's parents have been notified of DNA testing that confirmed her identity.
The cause and manner of her death are still pending investigation.
Five Mexican nationals were detained in relation to the alleged smuggling scheme after Border Patrol agents stopped vehicles that were seen leaving the area where the boat capsized.
Julio Cesar Zuniga-Luna, 30, and Jesus Juan Rodriguez-Leyva, 36, were charged with bringing in aliens resulting in death and bringing in aliens for financial gain. Meanwhile, Melissa Jenelle Cota, 33, Gustavo Lara, 32, and Sergio Rojas-Fregosa, 31, were charged with transportation of illegal aliens.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Immigration officials arrest 36 people in SoCal underground nightclub raid
Federal agents raided a nightclub early Friday and arrested 36 Chinese and Taiwanese citizens suspected of being in the country illegally, authorities said. Los Angeles Homeland Security officers, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and members of the El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force made the arrests during 'an enforcement operation in an underground nightclub' according to a statement shared on X. A video shared by HSI Los Angeles shows an officer donning a vest in a parking lot before sunrise, before cutting to a daylight scene of a group of people huddled on the sidewalk outside a building, some with their heads bowed. Officers are shown handcuffing the individuals and loading them into white vans. It is not clear where the underground nightclub is located. Further details on the investigation were not immediately available. The role of the El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force in the raid was also unclear. The group is a multi-agency initiative of federal and state investigators focused on financial crimes in Southern California. Members include HSI Los Angeles, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California and the California Department of Justice. On Wednesday, an investigation involving the task force led to the arrest of 14 individuals — including San Fernando Valley and Glendale residents — who were accused of being part of a transnational criminal network that fraudulently obtained more than $25 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Friday's immigration enforcement action comes as ICE works to comply with President Trump's orders to ramp up the pace of arrests and deportations across the nation. On Thursday, the agency announced that it achieved its highest number of arrests in history this week. On Monday, HSI Los Angeles arrested 12 Mexican citizens on suspicion of being unlawfully present in the U.S. after they traveled in a small boat from Mexico to Long Beach. In April, an estimated two dozen day laborers were detained in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection action outside of a Home Depot in Pomona. Earlier in the year, CBP agents conducted a three-day raid in rural parts of Kern County targeting day laborers and Latino farmworkers.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Mexican band Grupo Firme cancels US show, saying their visas were suspended by Trump administration
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The popular Mexican regional music band Grupo Firme announced on Friday that it was canceling a performance in a music festival in California over the weekend after the United States government suspended the musicians' visas. It comes after the U.S. State Department has revoked visas of a number of Mexican musicians for playing a genre of music that it says glorifies cartel violence. The group, which has soared to international fame playing Mexican regional music, said in a statement posted on its Instagram account that the visas of them and their team are currently under 'administrative review by the U.S. Embassy" and that it would make it 'impossible' for them to perform in the La Onda Fest to be held in the city of Napa Valley, California on June 1. But the post didn't detail what it would mean in the long term for the musical group. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico said that visa cases are confidential according to U.S. law and couldn't provide more information on the case. The suspension is just the latest in a series of moves the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has taken targeting Mexican artists in the genre, who in some cases have glorified the leaders of cartels as sort of Robin Hood figures. While the genre of 'narco-corridos' has stirred controversy, much of the music also speaks to the harsh realities facing Mexican youth caught in cartel violence. Two months ago, the Mexican musical group Los Alegres del Barranco was sanctioned after it projected images of the leader of the feared Jalisco New Generation Cartel at a concert in the western state of Jalisco. 'I'm a firm believer in freedom of expression, but that doesn't mean that expression should be free of consequences,' U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said at the time. 'The last thing we need is a welcome mat for people who extol criminals and terrorists.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Two Utah men charged with supporting Mexican cartel designated as terrorist group
Two family members were charged with conspiring to support a Mexican cartel designated as a terrorist organization. Maxwell Sterling Jensen, 25, and James Lael Jensen, 68, both from Sandy, Utah, were charged with conspiring to materially support a Mexican cartel designated as a terrorist organization and conspiracy to commit money laundering, as well as related smuggling charges. According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), the pair allegedly provided material support to the Jalisco New Generation cartel. The men allegedly conspired to conceal and disguise the source of proceeds from illegally smuggled crude oil, in addition to aiding and abetting the fraudulent entry of 2,881 shipments of oil. The DOJ said they allegedly operated an enterprise in Rio Hondo, Texas, named Arroyo Terminals. When the men were arrested, authorities seized four tank barges that contained crude oil, as well as three commercial tanker trucks, one personal vehicle and an Arroyo Terminal pickup. Violent Mexican Drug Gang's High Ranking Members Sanctioned By Trump The Jalisco cartel was designated as a foreign terrorist organization on Feb. 20 by the State Department. Read On The Fox News App Prosecutors said they intend to seek a $300 million judgment if the men are convicted. If found guilty, the men could face over 20 years in prison. Bondi, Patel Announce Seizure Of Over $509M In Cocaine Linked To Cartels William Kimbell, acting special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Houston, said their arrests came from an investigation initially looking into drug trafficking. "What began as a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) drug trafficking investigation evolved into a multifaceted case involving an alleged complex criminal operation generating millions of dollars from crude oil — the largest funding source for Mexican drug cartels," Kimbell said. "Given the charges have profound implications for both the United States and Mexico, we will continue to explore all leads and identify any believed to be involved. The collaboration with federal law enforcement, prosecutors and state agencies proved critical to unraveling these alleged crimes and will continue until such operations are destroyed." Fox News Digital reached out to attorneys representing Maxwell Jensen and James Jensen for article source: Two Utah men charged with supporting Mexican cartel designated as terrorist group
