Applying knowledge graphs: Migrant decedent case trajectories in South Texas.

Area of Science:

• Forensic Science
• Data Science
• Border Studies

Background:

• Migrant deaths at the Texas-Mexico border are a documented issue.
• Understanding the spatial distribution and post-discovery outcomes of migrant remains requires advanced analytical methods.
• Existing research often lacks a comprehensive view of the entities and processes involved in migrant death investigations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and apply a knowledge graph (KG) approach for analyzing qualitative data on migrant deaths.
• To elucidate spatial and temporal patterns in migrant death case outcomes.
• To identify the diverse entities involved in migrant death investigations in South Texas.

Main Methods:

• A knowledge graph (KG) was developed to aggregate qualitative information from 370 South Texas newspaper articles.
• Spatial analysis was employed to identify patterns in the geographical distribution of migrant deaths.
• Case outcome trajectories were analyzed to understand the involvement of different entities.

Main Results:

• The United States Border Patrol's jurisdictional purview was most prominent along the Rio Grande River, particularly during summer months.
• Cases away from the Rio Grande involved a more diverse range of entities, including local law enforcement and "Situational Participants".
• The study identified specific patterns in the handling and investigation of migrant remains.

Conclusions:

• Domain-specific knowledge graphs (KGs) combined with spatial analysis offer valuable insights into forensic investigations.
• This approach can reveal previously undetected patterns in the trajectories of migrant death cases.
• Understanding the roles of various entities, including "Situational Participants", is crucial for comprehensive forensic analysis in border regions.