An immigrant who was apprehended after attempting to cross the border died by suicide in a jail cell in Texas, according to authorities.
As NBC News reported, Marco Antonio Muñoz was found dead of an apparent suicide at a jail in Starr County, Texas, on May 13, according to a statement from a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson on Sunday. He was apprehended on May 11 by agents with the Weslaco, Texas Border Patrol Station and allegedly became “disruptive and combative” while at a processing center for people in the country illegally, according to CBP. He was transferred to the jail as a result, the statement said.
The Washington Post, which first reported the death, said that Muñoz, 39, was a Honduran father who suffered a breakdown after he was separated from his wife and 3-year-old son. The Post cited Border Patrol Agents with knowledge of the incident.
CBP did not respond to NBC News' follow up questions on whether Muñoz was separated from his wife and young child.