Unveiling of clandestine crematoriums on a ranch in Mexico sparks concerns over potential concealment
A Call for Investigation: Alleged Extermination Camp Discovered in Mexico
Activists in Mexico are demanding an immediate, independent investigation following the discovery of what they're referring to as an "execution facility" in Jalisco, used by cartels to eliminate missing individuals.
The Warrior Searchers of Jalisco, a group dedicated to locating the missing, revealed to CNN they uncovered this site last week at a ranch suspected to be a criminal group's operational hub, where they presumably held and forcefully recruited the vanished.
During their investigation, the organization found several crematoriums with incinerated skeletal remains buried beneath a layer of soil and a brick slab. They also discovered numerous personal items such as clothing, hundreds of pairs of shoes, backpacks, ID's, and lists of names and nicknames.
Indira Navarro, a Warrior Searchers' representative, shared with CNN that the existence of such "forced recruitment and extermination centers" was a well-known yet hidden reality. However, she noted that they'd never seen one until March 5, when her team had access to the ranch close to Teuchitlán.
The group learned about the location of this site through an anonymous tip.
Initially, the Jalisco Attorney General's Office reported the ranch's discovery during an operation by the National Guard in September 2024, which resulted in ten arrests, the release of two kidnapped individuals, and the finding of one deceased person. At the time, authorities found weapons, vests, bullets, and "two batches of thermally exposed skeletal remains."
However, they failed to detect the other remains found later due to cartels hiding them in a different underground space beneath a brick slab, "a method never previously used by the criminal group," according to the state's attorney general's office.
Human rights organizations and relatives of the missing suspect a cover-up by local authorities.
"It's incomprehensible that this mega-execution facility (Teuchitlán) operated without the collaboration of authorities or the security forces," they stated, urging the federal government to take over the investigation.
In response, the Jalisco Attorney General's Office stated they are reviewing the site inspection conducted during the previous administration to determine if any procedural errors were made.
As of now, Mexican authorities have not officially referred to the Teuchitlán property, where nearly 500 belongings were found, including over 200 pairs of shoes, as an "execution facility."
On Wednesday, the Love for the Disappeared organization claimed another alleged training and "execution facility" had been found in Reynosa, Tamaulipas. According to their Facebook post, "hundreds of personal belongings, along with charred skeletal remains of an indeterminate number of people," were discovered there. CNN is attempting to obtain more information from the organization.
Mexico's Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection is investigating the discovery in Reynosa, while CNN has requested more details from local police and the Tamaulipas Attorney General's Office.
Investigations into the existence of alleged extermination camps continue to surface across the Americas, with the latest discovery occurring in Mexico at a ranch in Jalisco, known for its criminal operations. This site, referring to as an "execution facility," was revealed by The Warrior Searchers of Jalisco, a group dedicated to locating the missing, who found various personal belongings and incinerated skeletal remains during their investigation. calls for the federal government to take over the investigation are increasing due to suspicions of a cover-up by local authorities. Similarly, another alleged training and "execution facility" has been uncovered in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, further highlighting the pervasive issue of forced recruitment and extermination centers across the world.
