Authorities said Tuesday they are trying to identify eight bodies found dumped in the Mexican resort area of Cancun.
Oscar Montes de Oca, Attorney General of Quintana Roo, said police found the dead bodies during weekend searches in wooded lots and sinkhole ponds, according to the Associated Press. He said authorities estimated they were dumped there anywhere form one week to two months ago.
A social media post from the attorney general’s office appeared to dispute the finding of the bodies, though it did not elaborate. The office did not immediately return requests for comment to USA TODAY.
The head prosecutor of the Mexican state pledged to carry out more searches and identifications.
Five bodies were found at an abandoned building site, Monte de Oca said per the AP. Three of them were identified as previously reported missing persons. At another site in a wooded area on the outskirts of Cancun, he said, authorities found unidentified human skeletal remains belonging to three others.
Is Mexico travel safe? What to know about visiting Cabo, Cancun, Playa del Carmen and more
The bodies were found in a poor neighborhood about 10 miles from Cancun’s beach and hotel zone, in an area close to the local airport.
Officials said similar searches were also carried out in Felipe Carrillo Puerto, a town south of Tulum, a town on the coastline of the country’s Yucatán Peninsula.
Volunteers, including some relatives of the missing, along with search dogs also participated in searches with investigators.
AG’s office disputes news in social post
On the heels of the announcement, the the office of the Attorney General of the State of Quintana Roo issued a statement on social media, asking the public not to share false news that damages the image of Quintana Roo. The post appeared to claim the discovery of the bodies was false, but it did not elaborate.
Thousands of missing people
According to a national database, more than 112,000 people are listed as missing in Mexico.
Searches for clandestine grave sites have become common throughout the country. What is unusual is that they are now being carried out in Cancun, the crown jewel of Mexico’s tourism industry.
Body dumping grounds are often used by drug cartels to dispose of their victims’ corpses. Several cartels are fighting for control of the Caribbean coast and its lucrative retail drug trade.
Previously: 7 dead, including child, after gunmen stormed Mexican resort, authorities say
Travel alert warning
In March, the U.S. State Department issued a travel alert warning travelers to exercise increased caution, especially after dark, at resorts including Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum.
The warning came in the wake of the kidnapping of four Americans in Mexico earlier this month. Both U.S. and Mexican authorities said the group was traveling for cosmetic surgery when they got caught in a drug cartel shootout in the border city of Matamoros in Tamaulipas state, south of Brownsville, Texas. Two of the Americans were killed.
The State Department had posted a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory for when they were kidnapped, citing crime and kidnapping there.
Contributing: Associated Press
Natalie Neysa Alund covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
Source : USAToday
