Mexico: 27 Bodies Found Hacked Up in Clandestine Grave Site Near US-Mexico Border

Volunteer searchers have uncovered a clandestine grave in Reynosa, Mexico, near the US-Mexico border.

The grave site had 27 bodies in it, all hacked up. Of these, four of the bodies have already been identified through some distinguishing tattoos that they have.

According to People Magazine, the bodies were uncovered by a volunteer "colectivo" that largely comprises of relatives, mostly mothers, of people who disappeared. The Tamaulipas State Attorney General's Office confirmed that the group found the bodies on July 14 after an anonymous tip.

Forensic experts have been sent to the clandestine grave site and have been working there for four days. They managed to recover 27 skeletons but are continuing their forensic work to identify the dead bodies in laboratory studies. It was noted that many of these bodies were dismembered into half a dozen pieces.

Reynosa is in Tamaulipas state dominated by the infamous Gulf Cartel, which grabbed headlines in the US earlier this year over the deaths of two American tourists. Other cartels are also vying for control of the state, though it is unknown which criminal group was using the clandestine grave site.

Anonymous Tip Led to Discovery of Clandestine Grave Site in Mexico

Edith Gonzales, who heads the volunteer search group that found the clandestine grave site, "For the Love of the Disappeared," spoke with the Associated Press. She stated that the site is just around 4 miles (7 km) from the US-Mexico border.

She admitted that she received an anonymous tip regarding the site's location. Gonzales also revealed that the site had 16 burial pits in total, and each one contained one or two dead bodies. The still-unknown gang that used the site may have started using it as recently as a month or two ago, with some of the bodies being covered by only 1 1/2 feet (a half meter) of soil.

These clandestine burial sites are often used by drug cartels and criminal gangs to bury the people they murdered. They are found all over Mexico, with many people believing that most of the country's missing persons may be buried in these sites.

Volunteer Searchers Continue Looking for Clandestine Graves Around Mexico

Mexico has thousands of missing persons, though many often turn up dead in clandestine graves. To try and look for their loved ones, dead or alive, relatives of these missing persons often form volunteer search groups to scour secluded areas around the country and look for clandestine graves.

However, doing this can be a bit dangerous, as Mexican drug cartels often target leaders of these groups to kill or intimidate them from stopping their searches. While these groups often only want to look for the bodies of their loved ones and not assist the police in the investigation, they have since become a thorn in the side of the cartels.

According to the MIT technology review, these searchers have recently gone high-tech in their quest to find missing loved ones. From social media to google maps, these groups are using everything at their disposal. Witnesses would often tell these groups that they witness clandestine burials before pointing to Google Maps to where the exact locations are.

They also use social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to post images of their missing loved ones.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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