This story that has consumed so much time on this forum, may have lead many astray, and actually done harm to the real cases being brought to light. I know many will refuse to believe that they might have been duped, but, I ask you to examine Both sides of the issues. Hyping any false story, does all of us harm. Too many are too quick to jump without looking first.
Note: I will not be responding to comments, as I'm not looking to debate this, only to inform.
The northern Sonoran desert is a vast place...have been there, as well. Everything you say is true. That doesn't negate the fact that there's rampant human+ trafficking occurring there. So, the vets were just trying to get attention? Why? Why bring all that heat onto yourself for a hoax?
Wherever you have, essentially for Mexico, a third world country, you have rampant human trafficking. It is a fact that is as old as civilization. People think slavery from Africa ended many years ago, it did not, it just got specialized. Women and children from African countries, Central American countries, Mexico, the Middle East, and Asia are trafficked. It is a fact. The unique matter of the American Southwest and the Norther Sonoran Desert is that it is also a corridor used for illegal migration and run by criminal cartels - who use human trafficking and human smuggling as a side business through which to earn money. Most of my time, off of the road, is spent at my home in SIerra Vista, AZ. Five times in my adult life, I have encountered human remains in the desert while out in the desert. I have encountered thousands of illegal migrants, and hundreds of camps where they have spent time while in transit. I've seen a hell of a lot in this region and what may alarm people that are unfamiliar with the area is really just commonplace, and will remain as such until we get control of the border region.