A Salvadoran man reportedly died while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody earlier this month, but the agency has not released any official record of his death.
Although his name does not appear on ICE's detainee death reporting website, independent journalist Alejandra Falconi claims that Juan Francisco Martínez, a 48-year-old from El Salvador living in Reno, Nevada, died earlier this month while in ICE custody from multiple stab wounds.
According to Falconi's reporting, the last time Martínez's family heard from him was Aug. 9, when he called his wife before going to sleep. ICE records reviewed by the journalist show that he had been arrested by the agency and was being held at the Folkston ICE Processing Center in Georgia.
Despite ICE indicating that Martínez remained in custody, Falconi reported that the Washoe County Medical Examiner's Office in Nevada confirmed it had possession of his remains. The office said it could not provide further information due to an ongoing investigation.
ICE records placed Martínez in federal custody, but local media also reported that he died following an attack that same night in Sparks, Nevada.
As first reported by KRNV, authorities responded to a call about a man with multiple stab wounds at John Champion Park. The victim, later identified as Martínez, died shortly after being taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Weeks later, the Washoe County Coroner's Office confirmed that Martínez died from multiple stab wounds and ruled his death a homicide.
"Juan Francisco Martínez, 48, was found injured at the park and was taken to Renown Regional Medical Center, where he passed away shortly after arriving at the emergency room," the coroner's office said in a statement.
A fundraiser launched last week in support of Martínez's family states that the goal is to return his body to Guatemala, where his wife and six children live.
"We want justice for Juan Francisco," the GoFundMe reads. "He was perfectly healthy, and to us, this is murder. We are waiting for the authorities to respond to our call."
As of now, Martínez's death has not been added to ICE's official list of detainee fatalities. The most recent death listed by the agency is that of Isidro Pérez, a 75-year-old Cuban national who died of heart complications on June 27 while in custody at the Krome Service Processing Center in Florida.
Deaths in ICE custody have risen sharply over the past two years.
In fiscal year 2023, the agency reported just four deaths. That number more than tripled in fiscal year 2025, with 13 deaths reported so far—a 225 percent increase. The first half of 2025 alone saw 10 reported deaths, a 43 percent jump compared to the same period in 2024, which recorded seven.
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