Authorities in Mexico have discovered 29 bodies contained in plastic bags at a mass grave site just outside of the city of Guadalajara. Gerardo Solis, chief prosecutor for the state of Jalisco, said, "We have 13 complete corpses and 16 incomplete, for a total of 29 bodies." Body parts were scattered across 119 plastic bags that were dumped in the bottom of a well, and investigators have indicated that the number of dead could rise as experts analyze the remains.
"Different body parts are being examined by forensic anthropologists and analysts to determine to what extent the number is going to increase," added Blanca Trujillo, Jalisco's special prosecutor for missing persons cases. As of right now, only four of the victims have been identified. All of the identified people had been reported missing by their families, and three of them had criminal records. 27 of the bodies were men, while two were women.
In 2006, the Mexican government launched a military operation to help fight the nation's dangerous drug cartels. Since its launch, the military has discovered more than 3,000 unmarked graves and around 5,000 bodies, while a total of roughly 250,000 have been murdered in the 13 or so years since. It has been estimated that 40,000 people are missing in Mexico. In May, authorities discovered a similiar mass grave with 30 bodies at a nearby site.
Jalisco is home to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and U.S. authorities have labeled them as one of the most dangerous criminal outfits in the world.
