In a social media post, the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office announced that 35-year-old Efrain Leyva-Alvarez entered a plea agreement for charges of Manslaughter on August 31, 2023. He will serve 10.5 years in prison for his involvement. Yuma County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of a deceased male in the area of the Mohawk Mountain Range around 8:17 PM on September 7, 2022.

Authorities say a subject called 911 for help after being unable to continue walking through the desert. The caller was part of a group that entered the United States illegally from Mexico. Once the subject was apprehended by United States Border Patrol, agents were advised that the guide was believed to have caused serious injury to another member of the group.

Agents were informed that the guide and the victim went to a water tank near the location. The guide returned alone and told the group the victim had fallen off a cliff and would not return due to being injured and fatigued. Once Border Patrol Agents searched the area, they found a deceased male. On January 16, 2023, authorities identified the guide as 34-year-old Efrain Leyva-Alvarez.

He was booked into the Yuma County Detention Center for 2nd Degree Murder after having been detained by Border Patrol for entering the United States illegally.