Autopsy: Immigrant detainee dies of AIDS



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ALBUQUERQUE, NM – A Honduran transgender migrant, whose death in 2018 in the custody of the US Immigration and Customs Service has sparked protests and calls for an investigation, has died of a rare disorder that It's developed rapidly because of AIDS, according to an autopsy published Tuesday.

The New Mexico Medical Investigator's Office released its findings on the death of 33-year-old Roxsana Hernandez, saying that the disease – known as multicenter Castleman's disease – can progress rapidly in people whose immune systems have been weakened. and lead to death in a few weeks.

The autopsy also revealed that Hernandez suffered extensive fractures of the ribs and sternum after the medical staff performed CPR in response to at least 10 heart attacks.

"It took almost a year to close this case because the autopsy was complex and required further testing and consultation," said chief medical investigator, Kurt Nolte, in a statement.

Hernandez arrived in the United States as part of a caravan of asylum seekers from Central America and was detained in San Diego.

She was then transferred to El Paso, Texas, before being taken to the Cibola County Detention Center in New Mexico.

Hernandez died in May in an Albuquerque hospital where she was admitted after experiencing symptoms of pneumonia, dehydration and HIV-related complications.

His death provoked protests. Advocates of immigrants and LGBTQ rights advocates said his case underscored the concern that transgender migrants housed in detention centers often do not receive adequate medical care.

In November, a lawyer representing Hernandez's family published an independent autopsy that revealed deep bruises along the coast of Hernandez that were not visible on the outside.

The independent autopsy also concluded that she had bruises on the back and wrist injuries probably caused by handcuffs.

State investigators noted in the findings released Tuesday that they did not think that the bleeding on the sides and back of the chest came from physical violence, but probably from the bones. low platelet count and physical strength of CPR.

The autopsy also brought to light many other symptoms badociated with immune disease, as well as a small head injury discovered during a CT scan. The origin of the injury was listed as unknown.

Lawyers and a lawyer from Hernandez's family criticized the findings, describing the investigation as incomplete. They also renewed their calls for the immigration authorities to be held responsible for the death of Hernandez.

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Russell Contreras is a member of the Associated Press Race and Ethnicity Team. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/russcontreras

Russell Contreras, The Associated Press

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