A clandestine crematorium on a ranch in Jalisco, Mexico has yielded 200 pairs of shoes and burnt remains, fueling fears over the country’s crisis of forced disappearance linked to organized crime. The discovery was made by Warrior Searchers of Jalisco, a collective of relatives of the disappeared, who suspect that the bones found may belong to missing persons.
The authorities have confirmed the presence of empty bullet casings and are yet to determine how many people the remains may be from. The crematorium is believed to have been used as a recruitment and training centre for new members of the Jalisco New Generation cartel, one of Mexico’s most powerful organized crime groups.
Jalisco is currently reporting almost 15,000 missing persons, making it the state with the highest number of disappeared people in Mexico. With over 100,000 people registered as disappeared nationwide, many fear to report cases due to lack of trust in authorities. The collective is now demanding that authorities conduct a thorough inspection and use certified dogs to locate human remains and bones.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/07/mexico-crematorium-jalisco-cartel