Authorities have uncovered the remains of at least 25 people in a clandestine grave in the municipality of El Salto, Jalisco.
After police were dispatched to the property on the basis of an anonymous tip they discovered human bones. They subsequently found the remains of at least 25 people and five plastic bags containing more remains.
The bodies were taken to labs at the Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences (IJCF) for analysis. The Jalisco Attorney General’s Office (FGE) said that the investigations will be ongoing for the next few days as they continue to gather evidence.
It said in a press release that the investigation has not been and will not be impeded by the sanitation measures initiated in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
El Salto is located within the metropolitan area of Guadalajara.
Meanwhile, the citizens’ search collective Jalisco Families United for Our Disappeared (Fundej) organized several protests in the state on Saturday to demand that state authorities continue searching for missing people during the pandemic.
In order to observe physical distancing measures, groups of no more than 15 people protested outside the governor’s mansion and other government buildings to make their voices heard.
“We want to keep searching. We aren’t afraid of dying because we’re already dead in life and I for one don’t want to die without knowing where my son is,” said Fundej spokesperson Guadalupe Aguilar.
Demonstrating on the day before Mother’s Day, Aguilar said that “we have nothing to celebrate, we don’t have children and there’s no celebration. … Where are they? Where are our children?”
But Fundej members aren’t the only mothers of missing people who haven’t let the coronavirus hold them back from searching for their children. Considering their pursuit an essential activity, the Sabuesos Guerreras (Warrior Sleuths) of Culiacán, Sinaloa, continue to look for their children who have joined the ranks of the thousands missing in Mexico despite the pandemic.
There were also protests to mark Mother’s Day in other states on Sunday by mothers who said there was little celebrate.
Sources: El Universal (sp), El Heraldo de México (sp)
