Searchers with Colectivo Amor por los Desaparecidos en Tamaulipas, or “For the Love of the Disappeared in Tamaulipas,” found the remains in 20 graves over the course of four days.
Volunteer searchers have found clandestine graves containing at least 27 corpses near the U.S.-Mexican border in the city of Reynosa, officials said.
Searchers with Colectivo Amor por los Desaparecidos en Tamaulipas, or “For the Love of the Disappeared in Tamaulipas,” found the remains in 20 graves over the course of four days, KKTV reported.
The Attorney General's Office of the State of Tamaulipas confirmed that an investigation has been opened and that forensic experts have been on the scene working to identify the remains.
Edith González, the leader of the volunteer search group, told the Associated Press that many of the graves contained multiple bodies and that many were cut into pieces.
The group decided to search near the area after receiving an anonymous tip, González told the AP. They believe that the site was used recently due to the condition of the remains and because of how shallow the graves were, she said.
“People are starting to shake off their fear and have begun reporting” the body dumping grounds, González told the AP. She said that some tips may come from “people who worked there" for the gangs believed to have been behind the killings, "and are no longer in that line of work.”
The Attorney General's Office of the State of Tamaulipas said that the investigation is ongoing.
