Mexican officials discover 381 bodies in deserted crematorium
2 Min Read
Authorities in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, uncovered 381 bodies in an abandoned crematorium involved in a funeral home fraud scheme.
-
Police tape crosses a construction site where prosecutors say bodies were discovered in a mass grave during excavations for the construction in Nextipac, Zapopan municipality, Jalisco state, Mexico, Friday, June 26, 2025. (AP)
The remains of several hundred people have been discovered in an abandoned crematorium in Mexico, which served funeral homes but never actually carried out cremations, according to La Jornada newspaper.
A total of 381 bodies were discovered inside the abandoned crematorium located in the Granjas Polo Gamboa area of Ciudad Juárez.
Hallan 60 cuerpos en un crematorio ilegal de Ciudad Juárez
— José Luis Morales (@JLMNoticias) June 28, 2025
Fueron encontrados en un inmueble que operaba como crematorio en la localidad de Granjas Polo Gamboa, Chihuahua.
Vecinos alertaron sobre olores fétidos y movimientos sospechosos, lo que desató el operativo que destapó… pic.twitter.com/khQ2QCs2tr
The company, which provided services to funeral homes, engaged in fraud by failing to cremate bodies as promised and instead deceived grieving families by providing them with ashes that did not belong to their deceased relatives, according to the regional prosecutor's office, as reported by the newspaper.
The remains were discovered inside a small, residential-style building containing five or six rooms, where hundreds of bodies had been piled up due to what authorities described as criminal negligence, according to media reports.
Authorities have detained two individuals, the crematorium's owner and an employee, who now face charges including improper handling of human remains, violation of sanitary regulations, illegal burial practices, and fraud, according to the prosecutor's office.
Authorities are now investigating the operations of funeral homes that partnered with the fraudulent crematorium.
