Orphan in the Desert Story not totally true
November 27th, 2007Turns out it was his STEPFATHER who committed suicide two months ago so Christopher Buchleitner is NOT an orphan as is being reported. (**** See updated info below****) He did go through something horrific with his mother being killed in the car accident.. but I still have questions about the fact that the van supposedly plunged over a 300 foot cliff and he and apparently two dogs survived but the mother died… Questions questions questions…
And an AP reporter tells me the crash occurred at 3pm not 1am.. so how is it that this kid did not encounter the illegal alien until 3am and would he really have not survived till 8am when the hunters came by? It was certainly nice of the illegal to help the boy, but he certainly did not SAVE him as if being erroneously reported. I’d like to know from these pro-illegals how exactly he saved this boy? Was he in imminent danger? He had two dogs with him.. he had protection from a lot of wildlife. I love how this story has been SKEWED in favor of the “nice” illegal “entrant” or “migrant”.. and apparently this particular illegal has been a REPEAT OFFENDER “border crosser” which makes him INELIGIBLE for a green card no matter how nice he is. GOD I get so angry at these illegal alien supporters!!!!
Here is the REAL story from apparently a REAL reporter who is NOT with AP or another MSM outlet. He is the one who gets the story the MOST right! Than you Bruce Daniels!
Updated at 8:40am — Rescued Boy Reunited With Uncle, Dogs
Written by Bruce Daniels - ABQnewsSeeker Tuesday, 27 November 2007Nine-year-old has lost both parents in the space of three months. Christopher Buchleitner, the 9-year-old boy who survived a steep plunge over a southern Arizona cliff on Thanksgiving night and was miraculously helped by an illegal immigrant, was reunited Monday with his uncle and aunt from the Farmington area and with the dogs who also survived the crash, the Arizona Daily Star is reporting.
Christopher’s mother, 45-year-old Dawn Alice Tomko of Rimrock, Ariz., died as a result of the crash when the van she was driving plunged over a cliff and into a canyon 60 miles southeast of Tucson, the Daily Star reported.
His mother’s brother, David Tomko of the Farmington area, told the Daily Star that Christopher’s father, Jack Buchleitner, had committed suicide on Labor Day, saying, “He’s been receiving counseling for the death of his father; now this is compounded on that … He’s going to need a lot of help.”
The boy, who was released from the hospital Monday, also was reunited with the family dogs who also miraculously survived the plunge and were rescued by Rio Rico, Ariz., firefighters last Friday morning, the Daily Star reported.
An 11-year-old male golden retriever named Tanner was unhurt in the crash, while the 10-year-old female Queensland heeler named Jade suffered cuts on her right hind leg, Rio Rico Fire Chief Michael Foster told the paper.
David Tomko and his wife Janice said they planned to take the boy back to his home in Rim Rock, Ariz., east of Prescott near Interstate 17 and near Camp Verde where Christopher’s mother had taught science in the high school for nine years, the Daily Star said.
And then, David Tomko told the paper, they plan to take Christopher back to the Pittsburgh, Pa., area where his parents’ families live.
Wherever Christopher ends up, the dogs will go with him, Tomko said.
“The dogs are definitely going with Christopher,” he said. “That’s the one remaining constant that he has.”
Meanwhile, Mexican authorities were looking for 26-year-old Jesus Manuel Cordova, the illegal border-crosser from the state of Sonora, who found Christopher wandering in the canyons Thanksgiving night and stayed with him until some hunters arrived — even though it meant his arrest and deportation, the paper said.
Several people, including the Rio Rico firefighters who were the first to arrive at the crash scene, want to find Cordova and thank him for his actions.
Foster, the fire chief, learned that both Christopher and Cordova have the same birthday — July 30 — and said the illegal immigrant was “almost sort of like a guardian angel,” the Daily Star reported.
“Chris was pretty lucky that Mr. Cordoval came along,” said Foster.
(NOTE: We’ve received some e-mails expressing skepticism that the boy could have survived a fall of 300 feet with only scratches and bruises, as has been reported earlier. That’s the equivalent of a 25-story building, points out one e-mailer, who thinks the boy wasn’t in the car when it went over the cliff.
That e-mailer suspects that the “misinformation” about last Thanksgiving’s events is coming from people who have a pro-illegal-immigrant agenda.
We put the question yesterday to Santa Cruz (Ariz.) County Sheriff Tony Estrada — who did indeed call Cordova an “angel” — about the reported drop of 300 feet, and he insisted it was true.
But the information about the events is “developing,” as we say, and the boy’s last name was given as “Buztheitner” by The Associated Press, and we were told that it was the boy’s stepfather who died two months ago, not his natural father, whose name is Buchleitner.
And one letter-writer to the Arizona Republic in Phoenix seems concerned that the tone of the story is far too favorable to illegal immigrants.
David Brinkman of Glendale tells the Republic he thinks Sheriff Estrada is wrong in saying we shouldn’t brand all illegal immigrants as criminals, pointing out that while Cordova’s actions are “commendable,” he’s still a criminal.
Welcome to the illegal immigration debate!
Stay tuned. It’s still an amazing — and heartbreaking — story, even if the details change somewhat.)
9:15am 11/26/07 – 4 Corners Man En Route To Pick Up Rescued Boy: Nine-year-old who was helped by illegal immigrant is getting out of hospital today. Christopher Buchleitner, (notice the boy’s last name now matches his biological fathers’s name) the 9-year-old boy who survived a crash last Thursday that killed his mother in the southern Arizona desert and was rescued by an illegal immigrant, will be released from the hospital today and picked up by his uncle, David Tomko, who lives in the Four Corners area, local officials told ABQjournal.com this morning.Santa Cruz County (Ariz.) Sheriff Tony Estrada told us that the boy, whose stepfather died about two months ago, will be reunited with his biological father who lives on the East Coast. (oh really Sheriff ? so he’s NOT an orphan after all now is he?) Estrada said the boy’s uncle, whose home town he didn’t know, was scheduled to pick up the boy today from the hospital where he was being treated for bruises he suffered when his mother’s van went over a steep cliff in a remote area northwest of Nogales, Ariz.It was “very fortunate” that the boy’s injuries were not more severe after the van driven by his mother, 45-year-old Dawn Alice Tomko of Rimrock, Ariz., plunged over a 300-foot cliff, Estrada told us.
And it was a miracle that a 26-year-old illegal immigrant from Magdalena de Kino, Sonora, Mexico, named Jesus Manuel Cordova, happened to be in that remote canyon area north of the Mexican border, said Estrada.
(umm not a miracle - there are signs posted there warning of high smuggling and illegal alien activity in the area)
“The boy was scared; this must have been the most traumatic event in his life and he was lost,” said Estrada. “Then an angel came along and stayed with him and supported him.”
(pardon me while I VOMIT)
The mother and son, who lived north of Phoenix, had been camping in the area when Dawn Tomko lost control of her van on a curve Thursday afternoon and vaulted off a cliff into a canyon, Estrada earlier told The Associated Press.
Christopher crawled up out of the canyon when he was found by Cordova, who had entered the country illegally, and the two made their way back to the crashed van where Tomko was trapped but still alive, Estrada told the AP. (and when exactly was he “found” by the illegal alien? 3am???)
When the mother died, Cordova comforted the boy, who was disoriented but unhurt, then wrapped him in a jacket and built a fire to keep him warm through the chilly desert night, the AP reported.
Around 8 Friday morning, Cordova flagged down a group of hunters who called for help, the AP said.
(so this kid was wandering around from Thursday afternoon till 8am Friday?)
Cordova surrendered to Border Patrol agents and agreed to be returned to Mexico without going through formal deportation proceedings, the AP reported.
Estrada told us this morning he wasn’t sure whether Cordova was deported immediately as a first-time illegal border-crosser, or whether he would be detained as a repeat crosser.
But Cordova’s actions likely saved Christopher’s life, and his giving the boy aid at the risk of being caught was a good reason we shouldn’t “demonize” illegal immigrants, Estrada told us.
Tomko also praised the man who already has been deported back to Mexico.
“His kindness, his generosity — you know he’s definitely a Good Samaritan,” Tomko told the paper. “It happened at the right time, and he definitely cared enough about our nephew that he did a great service.”
There is still some question as to when this crash occurred. Some were saying he encountered the illegal alien at 3am and the crash had happened two hours before. The AP reporter Terry Tang says the crash happened at 3pm… So.. which is it? Lots of shifting details about this story… could it be that Sheriff Estrada adjusted the facts to fit neatly into his “illegal alien saves orphan” story?
************ Update ******************
I discovered through an obituaries search that Jack Buchleitner was indeed Christopher Buchleitner’s father and he did indeed commit suicide on Labor Day so Christopher is an orphan. This does NOT change my position on the fact that Jesus Cordova is NOT a hero - he is simply a nice guy… and we don’t ignore law breaking because someone is a “nice guy” once in his life. Sorry but you won’t get any support for him from me except a pat on the back on his way back to Mexico. I only wish more illegal aliens were as nice as Jesus Cordova but he does NOT deserve any kind of “VISA” from us for being “nice”. Sorry. That’s just the way I feel and it is NOT racially motivated. It is illegally motivated. Period.
Came across this old post while searching for current news about Christopher. I have read many comments on this story in many places, and most all are in poor taste. You see, I came upon this accident scene the day after Thanksgiving.
“I still have questions about the fact that the van supposedly plunged over a 300 foot cliff and he and apparently two dogs survived but the mother died”
“…a steep plunge over a southern Arizona cliff…”
“We’ve received some e-mails expressing skepticism that the boy could have survived a fall of 300 feet with only scratches and bruises, as has been reported earlier. That’s the equivalent of a 25-story building, points out one e-mailer, who thinks the boy wasn’t in the car when it went over the cliff.”
The van did in fact go over the edge, but it was not a cliff; it was a very steep slope (60 degree). The van stayed upright all the way, but slammed into the wash at the bottom and was wedged under a large oak tree which crushed the drivers side. This is why she was hurt (killed) and he survived.
Just before the point where the van went over the edge, the rough dirt road curves into the mountain at a canyon/wash, then heads back across the mountainside. The view from there is fantastic, and a moment’s inattention could easily result in missing the curve in the narrow road.
“He had two dogs with him.. ”
Just one, theother one was not found till the next day. I was there when it happened.
“so this kid was wandering around from Thursday afternoon till 8am Friday?”
“Some were saying he encountered the illegal alien at 3am and the crash had happened two hours before. The AP reporter Terry Tang says the crash happened at 3pm… So.. which is it?”
It must have been daylight when it happened, because Christopher had a side mirror from the van with him. Smart thinking for a 9-year-old. I also the ashes from the fire that kept them warm, at the spot where the van went of the road. It was cold, as the desert temps drops rapidly when the sun goes down.
I met the hunters that found the pair, and judging by their demeanor it had been a traumatic event for them, too.
I have photos from the day, including some of the van, if you want to see them.