PATAGONIA, Arizona -- A U.S. Border Patrol agent died while on patrol near Patagonia over the weekend.
Agent Robert Hotten was found unresponsive by fellow agents near Mount Washington Sunday afternoon, according to The Arizona Daily Star.
Tucson Chief Patrol Agent Roy Villareal said during a news conference that the 44-year-old possibly hit his head on some rocks while checking on sensor activity around 1 p.m.
Officials said they believe a group of about seven migrants set off a sensor in the area Hotten was checking.
Agents were searching for Hotten after he failed to answer radio calls and found him around 4:15 p.m. The agents administered started life-saving efforts, including initiating CPR for more than two hours, while trying to get him medical care.
Hotten was carried by agents for about a quarter-mile through rugged terrain to an an area where a medical helicopter could land. The agent was airlifted to the Nogales airport and then taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The 10-year veteran of the agency is survived by his wife, son, mother and brother.
The FBI is leading the investigation.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
