Mexican mothers find clandestine crematorium, accuse state search commission of refusing aid

Ceci Patricia Flores Armenta, a prominent mother searching for missing persons, announced the discovery of a clandestine crematorium in Ayutla, Jalisco, Mexico. She and other mothers from the state found the site, which reportedly contains "numerous calcined human remains." However, their request for assistance from the state's Search Commission for Persons was denied.

Flores, founder of the "Madres Buscadoras de Sonora" collective, expressed frustration on social media, accusing state authorities of hindering families' search efforts. She stated that the commission, led by commissioner Víctor Hugo Ávila Barrientos, refused to provide transportation, food, field tools, and accompaniment for a group of 35 people planning to visit the site. "What else do they expect from us? We have already done the work of locating the site. All we ask for is accompaniment and transportation to get there and continue recovering the remains. We don't have vehicles, we don't have financial resources, and once again, we don't have the government's support," Flores wrote.

“

What else do they expect from us? We have already done the work of locating the site. All we ask for is accompaniment and transportation to get there and continue recovering the remains. We don't have vehicles, we don't have financial resources, and once again, we don't have the government's support.

The activist emphasized that searching for missing loved ones is a right and a duty of the Mexican state. "The Madres Buscadoras de Jalisco are desperate. We are not asking for privileges; we are demanding the fulfillment of a legal and human obligation," she stated. The clandestine crematorium was reportedly found in the Ayutla region, with images shared on social media showing piles of what appear to be completely calcined remains near a dilapidated brick wall.

In a formal request dated July 21, Flores asked the Jalisco State Commission for the Search of Persons for support for a group of 35 individuals for a visit scheduled for July 25 and 26. However, a response dated the same day, signed by Commissioner Víctor Hugo Ávila Barrientos, stated that the commission's "operational agenda does not allow attending the request in the terms and conditions required for those dates."

“

The Madres Buscadoras de Jalisco are desperate. We are not asking for privileges; we are demanding the fulfillment of a legal and human obligation.