At least 23 bodies found in hidden grave in Mexico
July 18, 2020
Mexican authorities uncovered the remains of at least 23 people in a hidden grave near a police base on the outskirts of the western city of Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco, the prosecutor's office confirmed Friday.
"The people deployed to the site have found 23 bodies, as well as four bags with various items of evidence, and three of the bodies have been identified," the Jalisco state prosecutor's office said in a statement.
The mass grave had been found on Monday, the office said. The families of the three people identified so far have been informed.
Read more: Mexicans turn to ancient Aztec floating gardens to revive mangrove forests
Neighbors said nothing
The grave where the bodies were buried was found located between two residential properties just three blocks from the police station of El Salto.
"It is between two houses where people are living. You have to ask, why didn't they report something?" said Guadalupe Aguilar, a coordinator for the FUNDEJ organization that looks for missing people in the country.
Investigators uncovered evidence that crimes "related to the disappearance of people" had been committed on the property, the prosecutor's statement said.
FUNDEJ said "the bodies were intact," which makes the process of identifying them easier, local media reported.
Read more: The Mexican men who want to end violence against women
Digging resumes post-lockdown
On July 2, investigators had finished work on a grave in the neighboring municipality of Tlaquepaque, where they had uncovered 86 bags containing human remains.
Just 10 days ago, authorities recommenced work on a burial site in Tlajomulco, also located on the edge of Guadalajara, after excavation was suspended due to the coronavirus. Last January, they had uncovered 500 bags containing the human remains of an estimated 48 people.
Over 73,000 missing
The large number of bodies found in Jalisco comes on the tail of bloody turf wars between the drug trafficking group known as Jalisco New Generation cartel and its rivals. Internal disputes within the gang itself also account for some of the violence.
On Friday, a video circulated on social networks depicting the cartel engaged in a military-style convoy as Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador visited the area. The 2-minute clip shows cartel members in military fatigues as they stand next to a long procession of armored vehicles.
"They are sending a clear message... that they basically rule Mexico, not Lopez Obrador," said Mike Vigil, former chief of international operations for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Over 73,000 people are missing in Mexico, according to government figures shared Monday. The majority of them have disappeared since 2006, when the country began taking major steps against cartels.
kp/mm (AFP, EFE)