Authorities in northern Mexico have uncovered a shocking scene inside a private crematorium in Ciudad Juarez, where 381 embalmed bodies were found piled up, apparently abandoned for as long as two years. Officials have attributed the discovery to gross negligence.
Eloy Garcia, communications coordinator for the Chihuahua state prosecutor’s office, confirmed that the bodies were discovered “irregularly deposited” throughout various rooms of the building, in complete disregard for proper handling.
“They were simply dumped one on top of the other, without any order or care, lying across the floors,” Garcia told AFP. He added that all of the remains had been embalmed but not cremated as required.
Instead of the cremated remains families expected, Garcia said the bereaved were given “other material,” suggesting deliberate deception.
Officials believe the facility had continued to accept bodies despite having neither the capacity nor the resources to process them properly. “There’s a clear level of carelessness and irresponsibility here,” Garcia said. “All crematoriums know what their daily limits are. You can’t accept more than you can handle.”
One of the crematorium’s administrators has reportedly surrendered to authorities, though no details were given about potential charges or further arrests.
It remains unclear whether any of the corpses were linked to criminal violence. However, Mexico’s overwhelmed forensic system has long struggled with a backlog caused by high rates of violent crime, a shortage of trained personnel, and limited funding.
The grim discovery is expected to intensify scrutiny of private mortuary services in a country already grappling with the aftermath of organised crime and thousands of missing persons.
