Led by a citizens’ search brigade, authorities in Sonora have found the remains of 10 more people near the tourist destination of Puerto Peñasco, bringing the total to 52 since search efforts began on October 23.

The discovery of the new bodies was made thanks to information gathered by the Searching Mothers of Sonora, who led authorities to the discovery of the remains of 42 people at the end of October.

The remains were taken to Hermosillo on Sunday for processing, cleaning and DNA testing. Results will be compared with genetic information provided by families searching for disappeared relatives.

State authorities in the capital Hermosillo had sent investigative and forensic experts to Puerto Peñasco to continue in the search for more possible discoveries.

So far, experts have carried out 18 autopsies, nine of which have been processed by the National Commission for the Search of Disappeared Persons.

Although the findings in October prompted the Sonora Attorney General’s Office to state it would support the Searching Mothers, the collective called out authorities on social media, claiming the support was nothing more than lip service.

Citizen-led search efforts are not uncommon in Mexico, where the National Search Commission’s registry of missing persons reached over 40,000 people earlier this year.

Sonora officials once again issued a call for all families with missing loved ones to submit DNA samples to cross-reference with DNA taken from the remains in order to identify the victims. Proper identifications require samples from at least two family members.

Source: El Universal (sp)