A family of four from Gujarat tragically froze to death in 2022 while attempting to cross the US-Canada border on foot during a severe blizzard. They were part of a group in which seven others managed to survive.
The incident remains central to a human smuggling case, as a US federal judge on Tuesday denied requests for new trials for two men convicted in connection with the deaths. The convicted individuals, Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel and Steve Anthony Shand, were refused retrials by Judge John Tunheim.
Convictions Stand in Case of Gujarat Family’s Death at US-Canada Border
The victims were 39-year-old Jagdish Patel, his wife Vaishaliben, who was in her mid-30s, their 11-year-old daughter Vihangi, and 3-year-old son Dharmik. A blizzard on January 19, 2022, claimed their lives as they froze to death. Authorities found their bodies just north of the Canada-US border, near the boundary between Manitoba and Minnesota.
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Family from Gujarat was walking on foot in blizzard: The family, originally from Dingucha village in Gujarat, attempted to cross the border on foot in extreme weather conditions. Seven others in their group survived the crossing.
District Judge John Tunheim refused to overturn the guilty verdicts that the jury returned last November against Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel and Steve Anthony Shand.
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