Authorities uncovered 42 additional bodies on Monday from a building in the Polo Gamboa neighborhood of Ciudad Juárez, bringing the total number of corpses recovered since Friday to 383, according to a new report.
The site, operating as a crematorium, is under investigation after hundreds of embalmed bodies were found stacked inside without refrigeration, according to Border Report. Chihuahua Attorney General César Jáuregui confirmed that most remains show signs of funeral preparation and are now stored in refrigerated trailers for forensic examination.
Authorities say the bodies may have been kept in the building for years, with some dating back to 2020. The facility, which resembled a private residence more than a formal funeral business, may have been operating despite previous health code violations. The crematorium reportedly had no functional incinerator in recent years.
Six funeral homes in Ciudad Juárez are identified as clients of the crematorium, according to documents found at the scene and confirmed by the state prosecutor's office.
Jáuregui said charges are being prepared against crematorium owner José Luis Arellano Cuaron and an employee for improper disposal of cadavers and violations of Mexico's General Health Law.
"Simply put, they collected the bodies, most likely charged for the service, and never completed the cremation," Jáuregui said.
A spokesperson for the prosecutor's office noted that all bodies found had corresponding documentation and were not the result of criminal violence, as El Pais reported. Carlos Salas, the northern district attorney, ruled out involvement by organized crime groups:
"Normally, the criminal groups that operate in Ciudad Juárez don't do this — they don't embalm the bodies or send them to a private business for cremation. There have been criminal groups in the state, yes, who burn bodies, but that's not the case here."
Marcelo Ruiz, president of Juarez's Funeral Union, told Border Report that he found the discovery distressing:
"We will meet with families who mourned, who prayed their rosary and said goodbye to their loved ones according to their customs and now may find out that the cadaver is in a warehouse."
Health officials have begun administrative proceedings, and the identification process is ongoing. However, investigators warn that preservation chemicals used during embalming may hinder DNA analysis. So far, 288 of the 383 bodies have been processed by forensic teams.
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