Researchers study what happens to the dead in Arizona desert

PHOENIX (AP) — A team of researchers is trying to better understand what happens to migrants who die crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, including many whose bodies are never recovered.

The team is monitoring dead pigs in the Arizona desert, studying things like their rate of decomposition and exposure to the elements, along with scavenging by animals.

University of Michigan associate professor Jason De Leon said the study proves migrants who perish in the desert have been vastly undercounted.

"If you can imagine that this happens to people, it's incredibly disturbing," said De Leon, director of his school's Undocumented Migration Project. "We have a humanitarian crisis, and we need better scientific data.