Woman falls from cliff to her death escaping border patrol agent in Texas, feds say

A woman fell to her death just moments after she escaped from U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody earlier this month, officials say.

According to CBP, the woman and three other migrants were taken into custody around 6 a.m. Friday, near the Rio Grande River, by a border patrol agent stationed out of Laredo.

The agent, who was working alone, handcuffed the four people together with three pairs of cuffs, a CBP statement said. As the agent was leading them back to his vehicle, the agent stopped to help the group through a barbed wire fence blocking the way.

At that moment, the woman slipped free of the handcuffs and escaped, according to the statement. She ran about 50 feet before falling off of a cliff with a 20-foot drop, and hit her head on a log next to the river.

It was dark outside at the time, officials said.

The agent called for medical help and members of the Laredo Fire Department arrived at the scene. She was declared dead shortly after.

Authorities say the woman was a Mexican citizen. Her identity and age were not released.

Customs and Border Protection, Laredo police and the county medical examiner are “reviewing the incident,” the statement said.