Mexican cartel-connected human smugglers abandoned a pregnant Guatemalan woman at a border wall near Clint, Texas, on Saturday night and encouraged her to climb the 20-foot barrier. She fell and landed on her back, causing injuries that eventually took her life and that of her unborn child.

El Paso Sector Border Patrol agents patrolling near Clint came upon a critically injured pregnant woman who fell from the barrier according to her male companion, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials reported. Doctors were unable to save the unborn child as well.

“Despite the best efforts of our Border Patrol agents and medical professionals, sadly more lives have perished at the hands of human smugglers,” El Paso Sector Chief Gloria Chavez said in a written statement. “Someone in Mexico guided this eight-month pregnant woman from Guatemala to this section of the border and encouraged her and helped her climb the steel mesh border barrier. We will engage our law enforcement partners in Mexico to find those responsible for placing these lives in danger.”

CBP officials said the human smugglers encouraged her to try and climb the wall, the Associated Press reported on Thursday.

CBP Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan told reporters that the woman, identified by Guatemalan officials as Mirian Stephany Girón Luna and her male partner were taken to the border by smugglers and left them there in the darkness. He said they were attempting to climb the barrier when she fell.

When Border Patrol agents found the injured woman they called for an ambulance who took her to a regional hospital.

“Tragically, the mother and the child died from the injuries from the fall,” Morgan stated.

Guatemalan officials reported that Girón sustained a cerebral hemorrhage, a pelvic fracture, and internal organ injuries from the fall. They said she fell more than 19 feet on Saturday.

Doctors attempted surgery, including a C-section, to attempt to save both lives. After multiple surgeries, the doctors declared both patients deceased, CBP officials reported.

CBP told reporters they have no record of previously encountering the woman at a port of entry. She also was not part of the “Remain in Mexico” program.

Tekandi Paniagua Flores, the Guatemalan consul in Del Rio, Texas, told the AP that he spoke with Girón’s partner who is currently in Border Patrol’s custody.

“He said that if he had known that the risks were this high, he would not have done it,” Paniagua told the AP reporter.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Face book.