Uncovered Tragedy: Hundreds of Bodies Found at Ciudad Juárez Crematorium

Authorities discovered that the Plenitud crematorium had been storing 383 corpses improperly in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. This incredible finding raised immediate alarm bells with the families of the crew lost. June 26 proved to be a disturbing day for municipal police officers. To their horror, they discovered the hearse was loaded with two bodies and…

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Uncovered Tragedy: Hundreds of Bodies Found at Ciudad Juárez Crematorium

Authorities discovered that the Plenitud crematorium had been storing 383 corpses improperly in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. This incredible finding raised immediate alarm bells with the families of the crew lost. June 26 proved to be a disturbing day for municipal police officers. To their horror, they discovered the hearse was loaded with two bodies and more stacked corpses in a room — the courtyard room — of the facility. What we do know is that investigators are now attempting to figure out how they arrived at this serious scenario, which has tallied up since 2020.

The Plenitud crematory had been subcontracted by six of the area’s local funeral homes to handle all their cremation needs. It failed to live up to its mandates, culminating in the preventable deaths of thousands of bodies. Out of the 383 deceased persons located, officials were able to determine the gender of 218 men and 149 women. The gender of 16 of those bodies is still unknown, further complicating the already difficult task of identifying them for families still searching for answers.

Prosecutor César Jáuregui is currently heading the investigation into how the project was discovered. This experience has resulted in countless grieving families left in the dark, and struggling for answers about their loved ones’ remains. Norma Guardado Meraz was visiting the Chihuahua Prosecutor’s Office, trying to learn what happened to her mother, María Nieves Meraz, who died three years back. She made clear her profound sadness during her visit.

“We want an answer so we can be satisfied and for the authorities to help us see what’s going on, so we can be sure we have the right person in our urn,” – Guardado Meraz.

Javier Ramírez pursued answers at the prosecutor’s office about his father’s remains. His dad just died two months ago. He’s asking how he can even know that what he received are his father’s remains.

“They just tell us they’ll let us know when they have information, but they don’t know how long it will take. In other words, we just have to wait and see what they tell us,” – Ramírez.

While families still deal with pain and disorientation from these events, they seek responsibility from public officials and law enforcement. Their discovery has triggered national outrage and horror over the treatment of bodies, living and dead, in Yemen, and the way the conflict has normalized death.

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