Mexico charges two men over 383 bodies found at crematorium

A handout photo released on June 30, 2025 by the Attorney General of Chihuahua state shows forensic experts working at a private crematorium where 381 bodies were found on the eve, in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua State, Mexico. As all bodies were embalmed, the hypothesis of the prosecutor’s office is that the vast majority of them were veiled and then transferred to the crematorium for cremation and then delivery to the bereaved. — Photo via Agence France-Presse

Two men were charged Friday in connection with the discovery of 383 corpses piled up in a private crematorium in northern Mexico’s Ciudad Juarez, the local prosecutor’s office said.

The crematorium’s owner and an employee face charges related to the “burial, exhumation, and respect for corpses and human remains.”

Hundreds of bodies were found “piled up” in the building in late June, with authorities estimating some remains had been there for up to two years.

Officials initially counted 381 bodies before finding two more.

State prosecutor Cesar Jauregui told reporters Friday he had enough evidence to identify 27 bodies. “We are currently searching for the families… to inform them,” he said, adding that 148 additional bodies had been examined.

READ: Police find 381 cadavers piled up in Mexico crematorium

According to Jauregui, the current crematorium managers were likely overwhelmed with the flow of remains and continued to receive corpses they were unable to process.

Authorities did not specify whether the corpses belonged to victims of criminal violence.

Mexico, a country hard hit by organized crime, has been suffering for years from a crisis in its forensic system, saturated by the high number of bodies to be processed, the lack of personnel and budgetary contraints. /das