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Petronila P.P.: Guatemalan woman dies as Border Patrol agents wait instead of using ladder

Petronila Elizabeth Poma Perez, 24, called for help for about 24 minutes atop the border wall near San Diego before falling 30 feet to her death, as agents waited for fire department help instead of using a nearby ladder.

Apr 1, 2025San Diego, CA

Petronila Elizabeth Poma Perez, a 24-year-old from Guatemala also known as "Heidy," died after falling about 30 feet from the U.S.-Mexico border wall near San Diego in March, with another person injured in a similar fall. Body-worn camera footage released by Border Patrol shows she called for help for roughly 24 minutes before falling, as agents waited for fire department assistance rather than using a nearby ladder and a fire engine was initially led to the wrong location. She was pronounced dead at the scene after striking her head on a concrete platform at the base of the fence.

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