Mexico City has initiated a significant project to excavate and identify numerous bodies from a common gravesite in a local cemetery as part of a comprehensive approach to addressing the increasing number of missing persons. This operation, led by Gerardo Cervantes Arroniz of the Institute of Expert Services and Forensic Sciences (ISPCF), marks the largest of its kind in Latin America.
The endeavor, underway at the Panteon Civil de Dolores cemetery in the western part of the city, is the result of a meticulous seven-month study that matched cemetery records with missing persons cases. This analysis has revealed potential matches based on names, fingerprints, and other identifying details, according to Luis Gómez Negrete, who oversees the city’s missing persons search commission.
Approximately 6,600 bodies across 75 burial sites within a forested area of the cemetery spanning 200 square meters are set to be exhumed. These bodies, unclaimed and unidentified, have been interred in layers since the 1960s, as noted by Gómez Negrete.
One poignant story is that of Sofia Lara Alfonso, whose family recently learned that her brother, Carlos Daniel Lara Alfonso, was buried in the excavation area. Despite filing a missing persons report for him in 2009, the family was unaware of his fate. Carlos, homeless and transient, passed away in 2012 at a hospital but was buried in a common grave without their knowledge.
Another heartbreaking account is that of Ana María Maldonado, who has been searching for her son, Carlos Palomares Maldonado, missing since 2010. She remains hopeful that he may be among those in the common graves at Panteón Civil de Dolores, emphasizing the importance of searching these sites.
The exhumation project aligns with the ongoing crisis in Mexico, where tens of thousands have disappeared due to violence, leaving over 130,000 individuals missing nationwide. Mexico City ranks among the top ten jurisdictions with more than 7,000 registered disappearances, prompting the city’s administration to form a dedicated committee to address the issue.
While the cost of the project remains undisclosed, President Claudia Sheinbaum has raised concerns about the accuracy of the national missing persons registry and pledged reforms. Families like Carlos Ramírez’s continue to seek closure, hoping for answers and identification of their loved ones among the exhumed remains. Their unwavering determination underscores the importance of this painstaking effort to shed light on these tragic mysteries.