Mothers find a dozen bodies in clandestine Tijuana gravesite

TIJUANA, Mexico — Mothers searching for the remains of their missing children have uncovered at least a dozen bodies after digging since Jan. 2 on a property in the Maclovio Rojas neighborhood in far eastern Tijuana.

The group of parents said they received an anonymous tip about the location. They said the tipster described the property as a potential safe house and dumping grounds for a criminal organization.

Thousands of parents and family members have formed collectives throughout Mexico to help each other search for the remains of their missing children. In Baja California, at least eight such parent collectives have hundreds of members who are searching for a lost loved one.

The collectives organize searches and protests in response to what they label indifference by the Mexican government to protect or find their missing children. They also collectively lobby to gain the attention of state investigators about suspected clandestine grave sites like the one in Maclovio Rojas.

Because the Maclovio Rojas location is considered private property, the search party was not legally allowed to enter the premises to dig for the remains of their children on their own. On Jan. 2, investigators with the Baja California state Attorney General’s office went onto the property and located a body. Investigators then packed up and left that same day.

State officials did not say who is the owner of the property.

Angered, the mothers picked up their own shovels and began digging, disregarding state property laws out of necessity, they said. They dug for days, insisting there must be more bodies buried on the property, while state officials declined to investigate further.

The parent group eventually located 12 more bodies during the next two weeks, according to both the prosecutor’s office and the parent group.