Mexico City has initiated a significant project to excavate and identify numerous bodies from common graves in a municipal cemetery. This effort is part of a comprehensive approach to address the increasing number of missing persons in the region. The project, regarded as the largest of its kind in Latin America, is led by Gerardo Cervantes Arroniz, the director of the Institute of Expert Services and Forensic Sciences (ISPCF) under the city’s judicial branch.
The initiative, which has been in progress for seven months, originated from a comprehensive analysis that cross-referenced cemetery records with missing persons cases. This review has identified hundreds of potential matches based on similarities in names, fingerprints, and other key details, according to Luis Gómez Negrete, who heads the city’s commission for missing persons’ search efforts.
Approximately 6,600 bodies from 75 burial sites spanning about 200 square meters within a secluded area of the Panteon Civil de Dolores cemetery are set to be unearthed. These unclaimed and unidentified bodies have been interred in layers since the 1960s, as noted by Gómez Negrete.
Sofia Lara Alfonso, whose family discovered that her brother, Carlos Daniel Lara Alfonso, was buried in an excavation area, shared her story. Her brother, reported missing in 2009, passed away at 36 years old in a hospital without the family being informed. Once his remains are confirmed, the family intends to lay him to rest in Veracruz alongside their mother.
Ana María Maldonado, who has been searching for her son Carlos Palomares Maldonado for 15 years, expressed hope that her son might be among those in the common graves at Panteón Civil de Dolores. Mexico continues to grapple with a crisis of disappearances, with over 130,000 individuals listed as missing nationwide, placing the country on par with conflict-ridden nations like Syria and Colombia.
Carlos Ramírez, whose brother Ángel Gerardo Ramírez Chaufón disappeared under suspicious circumstances, remains hopeful for closure despite uncertainties surrounding his brother’s case. He emphasized the importance of identifying those found in the common graves and achieving tangible outcomes for the families of the missing.
Aryel Arvayo Beltrán, also seeking closure for his missing father, shared his ongoing search efforts. His father, along with several others, vanished in 2021 during an incident involving suspected organized crime. Arvayo expressed his determination to continue searching for his father and the other missing individuals despite the heart-wrenching challenges.
Mexico City, facing a pressing issue of disappearances, has taken proactive steps to address the situation, with families of the missing advocating for increased efforts and transparency in resolving these cases.
