Floriberta Jiménez Torres

Floriberta Jiménez Tomás (sometimes called Floriberta Jiménez Torres) (born 1990) is a Mexican girl who spent approximately 42 hours under extreme heat inside an SUV vehicle after crossing illegally to San Ysidro, California. She was found alive.

She is a native of San Jorge, Oaxaca, in southern Mexico. She managed to survive her ordeal despite being without water or food for the 42 hours after she crossed the United States-Mexico border. On August 9, 2003, two people who had been in the car with her were arrested, and the vehicle was towed away. The persons arrested failed to tell police, however, that someone was still inside the sport utility van. She had boarded the van in Tijuana.

She was found by a federal worker on August 11, in the Otay Mesa vicinity, where the van had been taken by custom officials. She was sent to a hospital, where she was checked and found in good condition.

Alberto Lozano, spokesman for the Mexican consulate's office in San Diego, declared that "It's miracle that she's alive and well".

Her case made the news world wide, such newspapers as Puerto Rico's El Vocero and others reporting about it.

References

* [http://www.courttv.com/news/2003/0813/van_ap.html CourtTV/Associated Press]
* [http://www.reddingemployment.com/news/state/past/20030813state032.shtml Los Angeles Times]
* [http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/20030812-9999_1m12smuggle.html San Diego Union Tribune]
* [http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20030813-9999_7m13smuggle.html More SD Union Tribune]
* [http://www.laprensa-sandiego.org/archieve/august22-03/child2.htm Laprensa San Diego]
* [http://148.245.26.68/lastest/2003/Agosto/13Ago2003/13pr09h.htm El Informador]