31 bodies unburied in narcofosas in La Barca, Jalisco

Borderland Beat

I added some quick reference material for background info. for perspective incase anyone might need it.

On Monday Nov. 4, the military took control of the port of Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan, this included the the main offices of the local and federal government operating in that municipality.  

According to reports in the local press, the military arrived Lazaro Cardenas around 7:30 a.m. and from that moment on troops began patrolling the streets of the city and its surroundings.

Mexican Troops take control of Key Port 

The missing PGR agents instigated the search in La Barca.

The last contact agents  had with their supervisors was on Sunday Nov. 3rd between 7 and 8 p.m. Later it was learned, they had not arrived at their at their destination (BOM), base of mixed operation, in Briseñas, Cumuato. They were feared kidnapped.

Immediately elements were dispatched to search for them. They "combed" the area, all night and early morning, but to no avail. Later on, that Monday morning Nov. 4, they found the green pick up truck  in which the missing PGR federal agents,  René Rojas Marquez and Gabriel Quijadas Santiago had last been seen driving the night before. It was burned, abandoned on land located at kilometer 4, in the vicinity Cumuato, on the highway from Sahuayo to Vista Hermosa.

22 municipal police in Vista Hermosa, along with three civilians were detained,
on Monday, Nov. 11.  A federal judge who specialized in criminal searches, interception of communications, and bail, granted an order to implement a precautionary measure to arraign 20 municipal police officers of Vista Hermosa, Michoacan, who were arrested as part of the investigations by the disappearance of two federal policemen.

Sources at the Attorney General of the Republic (PGR) reported that the arraignment period for investigation will be 40 days. Research will be conducted to ascertain the whereabouts of the agents René Rojas Marquez and Gabriel Quijadas Santiago.

The Attorney General indicated that two policemen and three civilians were released because from the investigation because they were no longer thought to be involved in the disappearance of the PGR agents. 

Detainees who gave their statements to the Deputy Attorney Specialized Investigation of Organized Crime (SEIDO) in Mexico City, provided information on a warehouse that was used as a safe house. So began an operation in the town of La Barca, which was the location of the first body.

A group of agents along with experts with sniffing dogs continue to work throughout the week in La Barca, Jalisco, trying to locate bodies in clandestine graves where the detainees said that they discarded the bodies. 

7 corpses were found Thursday bringing the total of uncovered bodies to 14 men and two women. They were located on land between Jalisco and Michoacán in La Barca; Their identity still has not been established


Human remains were in some cases "tied, gagged" and "tortured," and "most of them have tattoos," divulged the ministerial staff. Four of them were in an advanced state of decomposition, the sources said.

Friday afternoon, Mexican authorities increased the count to19 bodies scattered in eight mass graves in La Barca.  

Sources at Attorney General's Office (PGR ) confirmed that none of the bodies are the missing federal officers. Details pending.

Based on information, it is presumed that the bodies may correspond to "people who have some connection or relationship" to "clashes between organized crime" that operates in the area, particularly the New Generation Jalisco cartel and the Knights Templar.

Earlier this month Mexican authorities lost track of two agents whose truck was found burned. They launched an operation which resulted in the arrest of 22 municipal police from Vista Hermosa and three civilians, who were confirmed linked to organized crime. 

From their testimonies, the PGR inferred that its agents were arrested by the police of Vista Hermosa, who were informants for New Generation Jalisco cartel, and they turned the agents over to the gunmen in the town of La Barca. The narcofosas were found in the municipality of La Barca, in the neighboring state of Jalisco, and the bodies were male, except in two for two females.

Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC) of the PGR has doubled the personnel assigned to collaborate in the investigation to find the missing agents and solve the case, ministerial sources said.

Luis Carlos Nájera Gutiérrez de Velasco, the attorney General of the State of Jalisco said on Tuesday the count of bodies had risen to 21 unearthed bodies and they are awaiting details regarding identities and cause of death.

Thursday, Nov, 21 Update

In the last 24 hours, 9 bodies have been unearthed. Operations are conducted at the margin of the Lerma River, between the municipalities of Vista Hermosa, Michoacán and La Barca, Jalisco. The area closer to the bed of Rio Lema has been included as part of their work this Thursday, so there is speculation the toll could rise further.

As part of the work considered for this Thursday, so the death toll could rise, Federal authorities have decided to expand the search to area in to bed of the Rio Lerma,

Local reports indicate that some of the bones were sent to Mexico City , to be analyzed by forensic experts. For the advanced state of decomposition, ordered DNA tests to try to establish identities, from obtaining more features.

Organized crime groups operating in different municipalities of Jalisco and Michoacán were behind the killings, and that some of the exhumed bodies show signs of torture and mutilation.

Officials are still searching for the bodies of two agents kidnapped from the area on November 3 while going to the base.  With the addition of the 9 unearthed bodies in this area, the toll has reached 30 bodies.

The Attorney General's Office, Jesús Murillo Karam announced now that so far 31 bodies have been found in mass graves located in Jalisco .


He also mentioned that none of these bodies are those of two recently deceased police, however, continue with the identification process.

Sources: Diario,Jornada,Telemetro, Milenio, Cambiomich, Informador, Universal, Aztecnews

Categories: Jalisco, La Barca narcofosa, PGR Agents René Rojas Márquez and Gabriel Quijadas Santiago, Villa Hermosa municipal police