Related articles:

Illegal entrant who rescued boy, 9, to be honored in Nogales ceremony Illegal entrant who saved boy in desert thought of his own children

Other articles by Bob Christie:

Bashas' replaces tainted peppers Lake Havasu pair charged with selling knockoff Rx drugs Arrested again, rapper now faces drug, cruelty charges Illinois ex-priest faces molestation charges in Arizona Kin of woman who died in custody at Phoenix airport file $8M claim Napolitano to reject abstinence-only funds Former Pima County deputy in landmark court winPima County deputy wins Supreme Court suit against State FarmJudge rejects suit against Grand Canyon use plan Agitated woman, held at Sky Harbor, dies in custody

General
Maintenance Technician Production and Manufacturing
QUALITY MANAGER Education
CESAR CHAVEZ SCHOOL NETWORK
K-12 MUSIC PROGRAM DIRECTOR Trades/Construction
SCHMUESER & ASSOCIATES
PRECSION MILLWRIGHTS Trades/Construction
innovative manufacturing
CNC LATHE SETUP Driver/Transportation
Pioneer Landscaping
Dieel Fleet Mechanic General
VALLEY PROTECTIVE SERVICES
SECURITY OFFICERS

PHOENIX — Authorities have located a relative of a 9-year-old boy who was rescued from the Southern Arizona desert by an illegal entrant after his mother was killed in a car crash.

Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada said that officials had found the brother of the dead woman in New Mexico, and he was on the way to Arizona to pick up the boy. The boy's father died about two months ago, so he is now an orphan.

Estrada identified the dead woman as Dawn Alice Tomko, 45, of Rimrock, a small town north of Phoenix. Her son was in the care of state child welfare officials.

The boy, Christopher Buztheitner, was found on Thanksgiving evening wandering in a remote canyon a few miles north of the Mexican border by a man trying to walk into the U.S.

The boy led the man back to his mother's crashed van, Estrada said.

The migrant was identified as Jesus Manuel Cordova, 26, of Magdalena, Sonora, about 60 miles south of Nogales.

The mother and son had been in a remote area northwest of Nogales, Ariz., on a camping trip, Estrada said Saturday. Tomko lost control on a curve Thursday afternoon and the van flew off a cliff, crashing into a canyon. Christopher crawled out and went for help.

Tomko was trapped in the van and was still alive when Christopher returned with Cordova, but died soon afterward.

Cordova comforted the boy, who was disoriented but unhurt, wrapped him in a jacket and lit a bonfire to keep him warm through the chilly desert night.

At about 8 a.m. Friday, Cordova flagged down a group of hunters, and they called for help. Cordova surrendered to Border Patrol agents and agreed to be returned to Mexico without going through formal deportation proceedings.

Calls to the Mexican consulates in Nogales and Tucson seeking more information about him weren't immediately returned.

Estrada said earlier that Cordova's actions likely saved the boy, and he risked being caught to do what was right. He said it should serve as a reminder that most illegal entrants are good people.

"They respond where there's a need," Estrada said. "We're very grateful that he was there. We may not have found this kid in time; who knows."