Radiolab – “Border Trilogy Part 3: What Remains”
WNYC Studios – Released April 20, 2018
Hosted by Jad Abumrad, Latif Nasser, Tracy Hunt

Episode Overview

The final installment of Radiolab’s “Border Trilogy” addresses the brutal realities and human loss at the US-Mexico border. Through investigative storytelling and first-hand accounts, the episode follows the journey of a missing migrant named Marisela Zaguipoya, the process of identifying her remains, and the wrenching impact on her family—while questioning the effectiveness of the US border deterrence policy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Reality of Border Deaths: Inside the Medical Examiner’s Lab

• The episode begins in the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner in Arizona, where unidentified migrant remains from the Sonoran Desert arrive for forensic examination. Forensic anthropologist Bruce Anderson details the harrowing increase in border deaths since the early 2000s.

  "We're just crushed by the weight of all the dead and all the missing persons reports. It's like working a mass disaster when people are still dying and planes are still crashing around you."
  – Bruce Anderson, recounted by Jad Abumrad (05:22)

• Listeners hear about how animals, including vultures and dermestid (“hide”) beetles, participate in the decomposition process, making identification even more challenging.

2. Marisela’s Story: From the Desert to Identification

• Anthropologist Jason De Leon and his students stumble upon the bloated body of an unidentified woman while conducting a research experiment with decomposing pigs (07:03).

  • The discovery is shocking for many students; the episode offers unflinching descriptions of the body's state after exposure in the desert.

  "Her body was incredibly bloated... to the point where it looked like it was about to pop from all the gases that had built up inside of her body cavity."
  – Jason De Leon (07:34)

  "The skin around the lips is stretched out of shape as though it had been melted... replaced by a stone colored ghoul stuck in mid scream. It's a look you can never get away from."
  – Jason De Leon (Book excerpt, read by Jad Abumrad, 09:56)

• Jason and his team document the body, then notify authorities, who eventually arrive to recover it after hours of waiting with the deceased.

3. The Process of Identification

• Robin Reinecke of the Colibri Center for Human Rights, based in the Medical Examiner’s office, specializes in connecting missing persons reports with unidentified remains. She receives a call that helps narrow the identity of the woman found by Jason to a 31-year-old Ecuadorian woman, Marisela Zaguipoya, through matching timelines and characteristics (13:46).

• The identification process involves cross-referencing missing persons databases, working with international consulates, and forensic analysis of the remains.

  "She spends her days taking calls, going through voicemail... searching for missing family members who may have crossed the border."
  – Tracy Hunt (12:37)

4. Marisela's Life and the Why Behind the Journey

• The narrative shifts to Marisela’s brother-in-law, Fernando, living in New York City, who shares intimate family memories and photos with reporter Tracy Hunt (19:06–21:03).

  • Marisela is depicted as a loving, determined mother of three enduring abject poverty in Ecuador.
  • The family’s desperation is palpable: their home is described as a “one-room plywood shack with a dirt floor,” and Marisela “told her relatives, ‘my kids are literally starving here’” (21:38).

• Pressure to provide a better life for her children drives Marisela’s decision to attempt the dangerous border crossing, even against her family's warnings.

  "Any sacrifice made is worth it for your kids."
  – Fernando, translating Marisela’s resolve (28:37)

5. Fernando’s Migrant Journey and the Professionalization of Smuggling

• Fernando recounts his own harrowing migration experience ten years prior, detailing the high cost ($12,000 loan at 10% interest), perilous travel across south and Central America, and the abuses suffered en route (23:45–27:21).

  • He describes being detained in a hacienda with over 250 other migrants, held captive, and sexually assaulted by smugglers.

  "Once we were inside, they raped me three times... after that, I just wanted to die."
  – Fernando (27:21)

• The episode explores how US “prevention through deterrence” policies increased the costs and dangers of migration, funneling travelers to ever-more perilous routes.

6. The Aftermath: Loss and the Limits of Deterrence

• Despite Fernando’s warnings about the dangers (including rape and deprivation), Marisela persists, ultimately making the journey alone (28:27–29:28).

• The family finally learns of her death via a consular call, devastating those she sought to help (29:53).

  • Jason, who found Marisela’s body, later brings photos to Fernando in New York City.

  "I saw all the photos. And the truth is that it tore me to pieces to see or imagine everything she had to endure in the desert... trying to keep going."
  – Fernando (31:12)

• Marisela’s body is sent to New York, her dream destination, for a wake before being returned to Ecuador for final burial. Fernando vows to care for her children as she would have wished (32:51).

7. Policy Reflection & Continuing Tragedy

• The episode closes by highlighting the continued ineffectiveness of US border deterrence policies:

  • The Border Patrol budget and agent numbers have surged since 1990, but undocumented immigration has grown threefold, and deaths continue (33:40).

  "Prevention through deterrence as a strategy—it hasn't deterred people from coming to the US either... More people are dying along the way."
  – Jad Abumrad (33:40)

• One year after Marisela's death, her cousin Jose Tacuri went missing in the same desert. Jason De Leon commits to continue searching for missing migrants, using drones and every possible tool at his disposal (34:54–36:27).

  "I told his mom I won't stop looking for him. I'll do whatever I can, whatever little thing that I can do. And if I can't find him, well maybe I'll find somebody else."
  – Jason De Leon (36:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the relentless influx of unidentified bodies and the human toll:

  "We're just crushed by the weight of all the dead and all the missing persons reports."
  – Bruce Anderson (05:22)

• On the emotional aftermath of discovering Marisela:

  "Whatever beauty and humanity that once existed in her face has been replaced by a stone colored ghoul stuck in mid scream. It's a look you can never get away from."
  – Jason De Leon (09:56)

• On the motivations of migrants:

  "Any sacrifice made is worth it for your kids."
  – Fernando (28:37)

• On the inefficacy of border deterrence policies:

  "We have about five times as many Border Patrol agents... and yet the number of immigrants living here, undocumented, has more than tripled during that time."
  – Jad Abumrad (33:40)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Medical Examiner and rise in deaths: 03:03–05:22
• Discovery of Marisela’s body: 06:34–09:56
• Identification process and Colibri Center: 11:03–13:46
• Fernando’s family memories of Marisela and their struggles in Ecuador: 19:06–21:38
• Fernando’s migration journey & abuses en route: 23:45–27:44
• Marisela’s decision to travel despite warnings: 28:20–29:28
• Reactions to Marisela’s death, wake in NYC, promise to her children: 31:12–32:51
• Reflection on border policy effectiveness: 33:40
• The continuing search for missing migrants: 34:54–36:27

Tone & Style

The episode is investigative yet deeply human, marked by empathy, unflinching honesty, and vivid description. Moments of raw emotion and personal reflection from the speakers bring to life the tragic consequences of border policies and the determination behind every migrant journey.

Conclusion

“Border Trilogy Part 3: What Remains” offers a searing look at the aftermath of crossing the US-Mexico border, told through the story of Marisela and those searching for answers. It moves listeners from the sterile corridors of a morgue to the aching memories of a family, exposing both the policy failures and unbreakable bonds of love and sacrifice at the heart of the migration crisis.