“Morogris” for Borderland Beat
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| Many of the bodies were found about 18 inches (46 cm) deep in clandestine mass graves (image credit: Sol de Tampico) |
The hacked-up remains of at least 28 people were found in various clandestine mass graves in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, across the US-Mexico border from McAllen, Texas.
Some of these bodies still have visible tattoos, which are being utilized to help identify four of the deceased individuals. Visible tattoos in some of the corpses mean that they were buried recently.
However, the majority of the bodies were dismembered, as confirmed by the leader of a search group named Colectivo Amor por los Desaparecidos en Tamaulipas (For the Love of the Disappeared).
The search group said that their work was carried out practically alone and without the help of any authority or government agency. During the excavation, there were no government officials from Tamaulipas or National Search Commission present when they started their excavations.
The burial site, located about 4 mi (6 km) from the border, has been a region dominated by various drug cartels and splinter groups competing for power and control over drug and human trafficking along the Rio Grande.
The Tamaulipas Attorney General’s Office is currently investigating the discovery of these bodies, which were found in 20 different graves starting on Sunday.
Some of the burial pits contained multiple bodies, and it is suspected that gangs may have used this clandestine burial site as recently as one or two months ago.
It is common for drug cartels and gangs to bury their victims in mass graves.
Sources: Milenio; Valley Central