Baja California Sur Begins Registering Common Graves to Identify Unnamed People

Authorities in Baja California Sur have initiated a program to register common graves within the state's cemeteries, a crucial step in the search for and identification of unnamed individuals. Lizeth Collins Collins, head of the State Commission for the Search of Persons, confirmed the completion of the first phase, which focused on locating burial sites of unidentified individuals. This information will aid in planning future exhumations and forensic studies.

The initial phase involved collaboration with the National Center for Human Identification to update the state's diagnostic assessment. Six cemeteries in La Paz and Los Cabos were surveyed without any exhumations taking place. Specialists used advanced techniques, including subsurface studies, topographical surveys, and drone-based aerial photography, to pinpoint the characteristics and locations of common graves.

The program's objective is to create a more precise record of these burials, providing sufficient data before proceeding with the recovery of remains. Collins Collins emphasized that this specialized information, encompassing archaeological, geological, and geophysical data, will strengthen the exhumation and forensic identification process, offering certainty to families and ensuring dignified treatment for the unidentified deceased.

This initiative comes amid rising reports of disappearances in Baja California Sur. Since the State Commission for the Search of Persons was established in 2019, authorities have recorded 3,483 historical disappearance reports. Of these, 1,964 individuals have been found alive, 311 deceased, and 1,208 remain missing. The collective "Búsqueda por La Paz" has called for increased resources for forensic and genetics services to expedite identification processes.

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These actions allow us to update the registry of common graves with specialized archaeological, geological, and geophysical information that strengthens the exhumation and forensic identification program to provide certainty to families and guarantee dignified treatment for unidentified deceased persons.