A group of volunteers searching for their missing relatives discovered a mass grave in western Mexico after receiving a tip. They found three underground cremation ovens, burned human remains, hundreds of bone shards, and personal items at an abandoned ranch outside La Estanzuela. The Mexican authorities later found 96 shell casings and metal gripping rings at the ranch. The search group referred to the site as an “extermination camp,” but the number of people who died on the site and their identities are still unknown. President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Attorney General’s Office took over the investigation. More than 120,000 people have forcibly disappeared in Mexico since 1962, and groups and volunteers have warned that the actual number could be higher. Ms. Sheinbaum faces pressure from President Trump to crack down on organized crime to avoid tariffs and possible U.S. military intervention. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of the most violent criminal organizations in Mexico, may have operated the ranch.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/14/world/americas/mexico-extermination-camp.html