Authorities in Mexico have launched a criminal investigation after the discovery of 381 bodies abandoned inside a private crematorium in Ciudad Juárez, near the US border.
According to a statement released on Sunday by the local prosecutor’s office in the state of Chihuahua, the bodies were found in “improper conditions” throughout the crematorium premises. Spokesman Eloy García told Agence France-Presse that the corpses had been “left indiscriminately, one on top of another, on the floors and in different parts of the building.”
The bodies were embalmed and reportedly had death certificates, and most are believed to have been sent there for cremation. However, investigators suspect that some of the deceased may have been left there for more than two years.
Authorities are now pursuing criminal charges against those responsible, citing “gross negligence” by the crematorium’s operators. One of the facility’s administrators has already appeared before prosecutors.
It remains unclear whether any of the bodies were victims of organised crime. Mexico has long struggled with a forensic services crisis, fuelled by high homicide rates, staff shortages, and limited state funding. This latest discovery highlights the ongoing strain on the country’s mortuary infrastructure.
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