In an interview with Telemundo, President Barack Obama expressed the help his administration offered Mexico in trying to figure out what happen to the 43 students from the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Teachers' College who went missing in September, a tragedy that he said had "no place in civilized society."

"We've offered assistance in tracking down exactly what happened, our forensic capabilities, our capacity to get to the bottom of exactly what happened," the president said according to The Associated Press.

Addressing the question of aid, Obama insisted that what was more important was assisting Mexico build on the progress it has already made.

"We've got to make sure that we strengthen the criminal justice system, the investigative capacities,” he said. "Mexico is our friend and our neighbor. We want them to thrive."

The story of the missing students has instigated constant protests in Mexico and led to the arrests of several public figures including Iguala Mayor Jose Luis Abarca and his wife, Maria de los Angeles Pineda.

According to Mexico's Attorney General, 80 people have been arrested so far in the case, a number which includes 44 Iguala and Cocula police officers.

In the aftermath, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, who many have asked to step down, has announced sweeping changes to come to Mexican police departments.

Mexico City's police chief, Jesús Rodriguez Almeida, has already resigned.

Obama acknowledged that he spoke with Nieto last month when both men attended an international economic summit in Australia.

"[Nieto] recognizes the outrageous tragedy this represents," Obama told Telemundo.

Only one of the 43 missing students has been identified. At a news conference, Mexican Attorney General Jesús Murillo Karam showed images of the garbage dump and the river where Alexander Mora Venancio's remains were recovered, read from a detailed DNA analysis, and vowed that the investigation would go on, CNN reports.

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