A group of volunteers searching for their missing relatives received a tip last week about a mass grave hidden in western Mexico, leading them to an abandoned ranch outside La Estanzuela. At the site, they discovered underground cremation ovens, burned human remains, bone shards, and discarded personal items, along with figurines of Santa Muerte. The Mexican authorities later found shell casings and metal gripping rings at the ranch, leading to the site being referred to as an “extermination camp.” While the exact number of individuals who died there is still unknown and none of the remains have been identified, the Attorney General’s Office has taken over the investigation.
Images taken at the ranch showed more than 200 shoes piled together along with piles of personal items such as clothing, backpacks, and notebooks, giving a chilling indication of the potential number of victims. The discovery shocked Mexicans and sparked outrage from human rights groups, calling for an end to the violence that has plagued the nation for years. The connection to Nazi concentration camps was made by a security analyst, emphasizing the enormity of the presumed number of victims buried at the ranch and the nightmarish reminder of Mexico’s mass grave problem.
With more than 120,000 forcibly disappeared individuals in Mexico since 1962 and the possibility of the number being even higher, the discovery at the ranch has raised concerns. President Trump’s pressure on President Sheinbaum to crack down on organized crime adds to the challenges her government faces in tackling powerful criminal groups. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, believed to potentially be behind the operation of the ranch, is a major producer and trafficker of synthetic drugs and involved in various criminal activities across Mexico.
Indira Navarro, the leader of the Searching Warriors of Jalisco group that found the site, shared testimonies indicating that individuals were recruited and trained in weapons and torture techniques at the ranch. It was also allegedly a killing site where victims were disposed of by criminals. Young recruits from other states were deceived through false job offers, taken to the ranch, and subjected to horrific acts, including burning victims and being fed to wild animals if they disobeyed orders. Despite the shocking accounts, the veracity of the information could not be independently verified by The New York Times.
Although the local authorities first located the ranch last September and found weapons, shell casings, and bone fragments, further investigations were halted for unclear reasons. During the same search, two kidnapped individuals were rescued, a body was found wrapped in plastic, and various atrocities were discovered on the property. The state attorney general has acknowledged difficulties in fully investigating the vast area of the ranch during the initial visit and suggested that local authorities may have been negligent in their handling of the case. President Sheinbaum emphasized the need for a thorough investigation into the horrific findings to uncover the truth behind the “extermination camp.”
