Los Indios, Texas – It is with deep regret that the McAllen Border Patrol Sector announces that on Tuesday, September 21, 2004, at approximately 1:30 a.m., joint recovery operations lead by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol agents succeeded in locating the body of Senior Patrol Agent Travis W. Attaway. Searchers located his body approximately one-quarter mile east of the accident scene. At approximately 3:05 a.m., search teams then located the body of Senior Patrol Agent Jeremy M. Wilson 50 yards away from Agent Attaway’s location. “Senior Patrol Agents Travis Attaway and Jeremy Wilson paid the ultimate price, sacrificing their lives to defend our great nation. Senior Patrol Agents Attaway and Wilson embody the dedication and commitment of all our officers and agents to guard our border,” said U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert C. Bonner. “Defending our country’s borders is a dangerous occupation. Agents like Travis Attaway and Jeremy Wilson are at risk everyday. We Americans mourn their loss while we praise their service. We remember them and we keep them in our prayers.”

Two days prior to their bodies being recovered, Attaway and Wilson, along with Senior Patrol Agent Javier Sandoval, were involved in a single-craft boating accident west of the Los Indios Port of Entry, Los Indios, Texas. Although a nearby Border Patrol marine unit rescued SPA Sandoval, they were unable to initially locate Attaway and Wilson. A two-day search and recovery operation unified local, state, and other federal agencies in an exhaustive search of the river area near the accident.