Police have discovered nearly 400 neglected corpses abandoned on the floor of a private crematorium.
The shocking find was made in Ciudad Juarez, just across from El Paso, Texas, at a nondescript building, per KVIA.
Investigators were led to the property by a tip, uncovering what is now being described as a scene of gruesome neglect.
The Chihuahua state prosecutor’s office revealed that “preliminarily we have 381 bodies that were deposited irregularly in the crematorium, which were not cremated,” according to communications coordinator Eloy Garcia, per the New York Post.
Garcia described how the corpses were “stacked” on top of one another at random through various rooms in the building, adding: “They were largely just thrown like that, indiscriminately, one on top of the other, on the floor.”
The bodies, many of which had been embalmed for funerals or transport, were left abandoned, with authorities estimating some had been lying there for up to two years.
Families who believed they were receiving the ashes of their loved ones were instead given “other material” in lieu of ashes, Garcia said, adding it was unclear what exactly those items were.
State officials said many of the bodies came from six different funeral homes in Juarez, with relatives under the impression their loved ones' bodies had been properly processed.
“They constantly received bodies for cremation,” Chihuahua Attorney General Cesar Jauregui said.
“They misrepresented hundreds of times to funeral companies that they would be cremating those bodies.”
Owner Jose Luis Arellano Cuaron and an employee will face charges of improper disposal of bodies, and further charges could follow as remains are examined to determine whether any are victims of foul play.
While the owner reportedly had three licenses to operate at one point, it remains unclear if the business was in good standing.
The governor of Chihuahua condemned the crematorium’s operators as “irresponsible and unscrupulous people who misused these licenses and permits.”
The discovery could bring answers for many families in a city plagued by cartel violence and disappearances.
“Of course, all the families and we ourselves were worried and wondered who is there? What bodies are there? Are they identified? The mothers told us, ‘My daughter is not there,’” said Yadira Cortez, a representative from the Ciudad Juárez Women’s Roundtable Network, per KFOX.
Garcia pointed to “carelessness and irresponsibility” on the part of the crematorium, noting: “You can’t take in more than you can process.”
He explained that some staff had fled before the raid, and one administrator turned himself in to prosecutors.
The case also highlights Mexico’s struggle with overwhelmed forensic systems due to the sheer number of bodies needing processing, limited staff, and tight budgets.
The state has opened a process for families who believe their loved ones may be among the bodies, asking them to bring an official ID, a description of what their loved one last wore, and the name of the funeral home that handled their remains.