Mexican authorities have made a shocking discovery in Ciudad Juárez, uncovering nearly 400 human corpses stored in a private crematorium that had long operated under suspicious conditions.
According to DailyMail, 383 embalmed bodies and six sets of partial remains were found inside the building, which was initially mistaken for a residence but later identified as an unlicensed crematorium facility.
The revelation, made public on June 30, has sparked outrage and renewed fears among families of missing persons in the region.
The grim find was made last Thursday after a tip-off led investigators to the premises, operated by Jose Luis Arellano Cuaron and an associate. Both men have been arrested and face charges for improper handling and disposal of human remains. Authorities say more serious charges could follow, pending the outcome of forensic investigations.
“It’s a horrifying display of negligence,” said Cesar Jáuregui, the Attorney General of Chihuahua State, during a press briefing. “This establishment consistently received corpses from funeral homes with the understanding they would be cremated, but instead stored them for years without burial or incineration. Families were often deceived and given ashes that likely weren’t those of their loved ones.”
The bodies, some of which had been stored for three to four years, were allegedly sent from at least six funeral homes in Juárez. Investigators believe that families had unknowingly paid for services that were never rendered.
Chihuahua Governor María Eugenia Campos condemned the operators as “irresponsible and unscrupulous,” accusing them of abusing regulatory licenses and exploiting grieving families. “They betrayed the trust of people at their most vulnerable moments,” she said.
Photos released by authorities showed an abandoned hearse and a cluttered facility where corpses were found piled or improperly stored, with some embalmed and others partially decomposed. An aerial view of the compound revealed signs of severe mismanagement.
The revelation has added to the anxiety in a city already gripped by cartel violence and high rates of disappearances. Juárez has long been a focal point in Mexico’s migrant and security crisis, and many fear some of the victims found could be among those missing in recent years.
“We’ve been inundated with calls from distraught families,” said Yadira Cortez of the Ciudad Juárez Women’s Roundtable Network. “Many mothers are desperate to know whether their missing daughters are among the bodies.”
In response, the state has launched an identification process and is urging anyone who believes their loved one may be among the dead to come forward with personal records, photographs, and details about the funeral services they used.
Authorities are continuing to examine the remains, and a full investigation is underway to determine how such an operation was allowed to function unchecked for so long.
“We are committed to ensuring that justice is served for every soul abandoned in that facility,” Attorney General Jáuregui assured.
