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MEXICO CITY – Mexican authorities said on Thursday that they had found a mass grave with 168 human skulls in the state of Veracruz, a bleak reminder of tens of thousands of missing persons, presumably in the hands of organized crime.
The remains and personal items found on the site, including 200 items of clothing, suggested that the victims were killed two years ago, said Jorge Winckler Ortiz, Veracruz's attorney general.
It is one of the largest underground pits discovered in Mexico in recent years. Veracruz was one of the states caught in the horror of these giant dumps, used by drug gangs to get rid of their victims.
Federal officials say more than 30,000 people have disappeared in Mexico, although human rights groups say the number is much higher. Many families, fearing that the police might be working with drug gangs or convinced that the investigators would not do anything, never report missing relatives.
Mr Winckler Ortiz told the press that a team of investigators had found the graveyard on August 8 with the help of drones and a radar penetrating the ground. The human remains, as well as hundreds of personal items, were buried in 30 locations.
Winkler said the investigators were alerted to the grave by a witness, but the authorities kept the discovery secret for a month for "security reasons." Drug gangs have a strong presence in the region.
One of the gangs, known as Zetas, is considered one of the most brutal in Mexico. US government puts criminal group at the top of list of organizations crime priorities.
Drug gangs have fought control of territory in Veracruz for years, making it one of the country's most violent states. A former governor, Javier Duarte, is in prison while he is awaiting trial for corruption.
Last year, another mass grave, with 250 human skulls, was discovered on the outskirts of the port city of Veracruz. At the time, Winckler Ortiz said they were probably the victims of drug cartels.
This tomb was discovered by Colectivo Solecito, a group of mothers looking for their missing children.
Mr. Winckler Ortiz described the state at the time as a "giant grave" and acknowledged that the authorities did not have the capacity to identify all the remains found in different dumps.
The state will seek help from the Federal Police of Mexico to conduct genetic tests on the remains to compare them with DNA samples in databases of missing persons, said Winckler Ortiz.
