Virginia Lab Helps ID Migrants Who Die In Ariz. Desert

Bode Technology Group has helped Mexico make at least 47 positive identifications of migrants found in the Arizona desert since the program began a couple of years ago. Many other cases are pending.

The process begins with a search for other identification or clues on the remains of those found along smuggling routes in the desert.

Lorenia Ton from Mexico's consulate in Tucson visits the morgues of southern Arizona. She looks for identifiers such as a phone number written inside pant legs or a piece of paper sewn into a backpack. If identification is found, the lab tries to confirm it by matching DNA to samples from relatives.