Dozens of Bags of Human Body Parts Found in Ravine

Dozens of bags with human remains inside have been found by authorities in a ravine in Mexico, according to reports.

The Jalisco Prosecutor’s Office found as many as 45 bags in the Mirador del Bosque ravine in Zapopan, in the Mexican state of Jalisco, on Wednesday as part of a search for seven call center workers who recently disappeared.

On Monday, May 22, seven young workers went missing from a call center in Zapopan, sparking a mass search in the Mexican city, according to El País newspaper.

Authorities have not yet confirmed the identities of the human remains and have said they will wait for forensic results before doing so.

During the search, Jalisco prosecutors have considered the possibility that the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel, a Mexican drugs and organized crime group known for its use of extreme violence, may be involved. The United States Department of the Treasury has stated the cartel group has been involved in telephone extortion and fraud against U.S. citizens.

Among the seven named workers was a 23-year-old American, Carlos Valladolid. In addition to him was his sister Itzel Valladolid, Carlos Benjamín García Cuevas, Arturo Robles, Jesús Alfredo Salazar, Mayra Karina and Jorge Velázquez, according to a Mail Online report.

Their disappearance comes months after four U.S. citizens were kidnapped in Matamoros, Mexico, allegedly by members of a cartel in March, in a potential case of mistaken identity. This eventually resulted in two of the victims being found dead and two rescued alive.

Lupita Juarez, a host at Mexico’s El Heraldo radio station, shared images of the Jalisco authorities searching the area and discovering the bags.

“There are 45 bags with segments of male and female bodies located in the Mirador del Bosque ravine in Zapopan, Jalisco, within the framework of the investigations to locate the seven young workers of a #CallCenter reported missing, reports the State Prosecutor’s Office,” she said in a tweet according to a Google translation.

“The authorities inform that, until now, neither the identity nor the causes of death nor the total number of bodies found in the place have been determined.”

Following the discovery, officials from the Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences, the Prosecutor’s Office and Civil Protection were able to recover the bags of human remains despite them being found in difficult-to-access areas.

Jalisco State Attorney General Luis Méndez has previously spoken about the disappearance of the workers and said the seven people had been employed at the call center for two or three months, according to the Mail Online report.

Newsweek has contacted the General Commissioner of Public Security of Zapopan via email for comment.