BEXAR COUNTY, TEXAS — The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office on Wednesday identified the body found Monday near railroad tracks in southwest Bexar County as 49-year-old Nereo Aguilar Garcia. Investigators are examining whether his death is connected to a suspected human-smuggling incident that left six people dead in Laredo over the weekend.

Garcia's body was discovered around 1:30 p.m. Monday near Pue and Wolf roads, just outside Loop 1604. The medical examiner's office said the official cause and manner of death are still pending. The Bexar County Sheriff's Office is investigating.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said investigators believe Garcia's death is connected with the six people found dead inside a boxcar in Laredo, which investigators suspect was a human smuggling attempt. He said Garcia was in possession of a Mexican voter registration card.

Authorities believe smugglers either found Garcia's body and dumped it out to avoid accountability, or that he fell out when the door was opened while leaning against it. Following the discovery of the bodies in Laredo, Union Pacific and Homeland Security Investigations agents patrolled the location near Pue and Wolf roads after an alert that one of the containers had been opened. "The boxcars are basically airtight and temperatures inside can reach up to 150 degrees," Salazar said.

The six bodies were discovered Sunday afternoon during an inspection at a rail yard in the 12000 block of Jim Young Way in Laredo, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Salazar said the train originated from Del Rio. When it arrived at a station near where Garcia was found on Monday, it split, with half going to Laredo and the other half to Houston.

Salazar said the San Antonio Police Department received a call from an out-of-state person who said they had received a message from a relative believed to be in one of the boxcars. "It was getting very, very hot, and they were having some physical trouble as a result of it," he said, attributing the remark to the relative. San Antonio police were dispatched to a location in the city several miles up the road but found nothing. Authorities believe the person who sent the message was among the six deceased found in Laredo.

"It's quite possible that load of people may have been somewhat bigger than the seven bodies we're up to now, or it's possible that may have been it," he said. "We are working closely with law enforcement to investigate," Union Pacific said. Anyone with information or who believes they may have seen something suspicious is urged to contact the Bexar County Sheriff's Office.