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The identification of a man found dead in the Florida Straits after a journey from Cuba has become a priority for U.S. authorities, who have been unable to determine the identity of the person in their morgue since 2022.
"Cases like this are very complicated," said Agent Adam Hoffner of the U.S. Border Patrol to Local 10 News.
To identify the body, which arrived alongside that of another person at the Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office, the Sheriff's Office of that county is collaborating with the medical examiner and the Coast Guard Investigative Services.
According to authorities, on August 5, 2022, a boat capsized with more than a dozen people on board. Twelve individuals went missing at sea, and only two managed to survive.
To advance in the process of identifying the body of the deceased Cuban, authorities turned to forensic art.
An artist, also of Cuban origin, is responsible for providing clues in this identification process.
“We found an artist that I was able to locate in the state of Florida,” Hoffner said. His name is Fernando Gajate, and he is an officer with the Sea Ranch Lakes Police Department as well as a retired captain from the Broward County Sheriff's Office.
In his resume, Gajate has solved several cases thanks to his drawings.
"The body was well preserved. They had taken some images," Gajate said about this particular case. "I don't want to take any artistic liberties," he noted.
He also remarked, “Being from Cuba, I understand the difficult situation of migrants and the desperation they feel.”
It is estimated that the man is about 1.68 meters tall and has distinctive earlobes. Authorities believe that the drawings will aid in his identification.
Hypothetically, authorities estimate that he and the other migrants left Cuba around July 28, 2022.
The contact methods for anyone who has information are the phone number 954-541-4744, the email address mip-mmp@cbp.dhs.gov, or reaching out to Janine Stanwood on Twitter or Instagram @janinewplg.
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