Snow-covered bodies of 2 men from Senegal found in New York woods near Canadian border

MOOERS, N.Y. — Two men from Senegal were found frozen to death in the snow of a wooded area close to the Canadian border, New York State Police said.

The bodies of Abdoulaye Ndoye and Ndongo Sarry, both 25 years old from Dakar, were found on Monday in the border town of Mooers. A Border Patrol agent was conducting a routine search in the woods when a dog discovered a body under the snow, then a second body, state police said in a news release Thursday.

Authorities did not say why they thought the men were in the woods, although their bodies were found in a rural part of northern New York that has become increasingly popular among people trying to illegally enter the United States on foot from Canada .

Autopsies revealed that the cause of death was hypothermia due to exposure to a wet and cold environment. According to police, a coroner ruled the deaths accidental.

The state police conducted an investigation.

The number of illegal crossings at the northern border is small compared to the southern border. The northern border is vast and unfortified, but illegal crossings can be dangerous, especially in winter.

In December, the body of a 33-year-old woman was found in a river in northern New York after a crossing.