Kickstarter

2010 was a year of record deaths for illegal migrants entering the
U.S. via Arizona’s Sonoran Desert — 230 in all.

It’s impossible to know how many migrants survive the days-long
journey, led by high-priced guides, with temperatures soaring up to 130 degrees in the summer months.  But every year since 2001 no less than 150 mummified and decomposed bodies have been discovered in remote areas of the desert, eventually taken to the Pima County Forensic Science Center in Tucson, AZ which faces the herculean task of analyzing and storing their remains, archiving their possessions — and hopefully — determining their identities.

In the fall of 2011, I traveled to Pima County, where I spent a week photographing the day-to-day operations of the facility, documenting the receiving area, autopsy room, and archive of border crossers’ personal effects. 

Working in the Medical Examiner's Office

Gurneys in Receiving Room

I also traveled to Green Valley, AZ, photographing belongings left on the desert floor by migrants awaiting road-side pick-up in the dead of night.

The U.S. Border Patrol monitoring the wall in Nogales, Arizona

Why This Book is Important

This book is important for a number of reasons.  It is a way of humanizing the immigration issue we face in our country.  It points to how desperate the individuals are to escape whatever their circumstances were and start a new life.  Essentially this books stands as a kind of memorial to people who died alone, without ceremony and who often are still unknown.

Personal Effects of John Doe ML#: 11-01245

The Book

With your help, the first edition will include 1,500 9x12 casebound copies of 112 pages with 65 four-color plates in the fall of 2012.

How It Works

If you decide to make a pledge, your credit card will be charged when my project reaches its funding deadline date on March 10, 2012, but only if my project is fully funded.  It's an all or nothing situation -- if my project is not fully funded, your credit card is not charged, and I do not receive any donations.

To pledge to my project, click the green “Back This Project” button on the upper right side of the page. You will be asked to enter your pledge amount. From there, you will go through the Amazon checkout process. Note that you must finish the Amazon checkout process for your pledge to be recorded.  Kickstarter only supports credit card payments through Amazon Payments.  No cash or checks.  I expect to ship rewards in the Fall of 2012.  

Rewards

Please see the schedule of rewards to the right that correspond with the images below.

Selected Signed Print Images

Sleeves of Personal Effects

X-Ray in Use

Vultures in Green Valley

Now It Is Up To You

The more people I reach, the better chance I have of being funded.  So please help me spread the word.

Thank you for considering my project.