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Abstract

Femicides are a growing issue in Mexico. These murders are intertwined with the incompetence of authorities, poverty, corruption, and organized crime. Authorities tend to blame victims by not taking missing reports seriously, nor do they conduct searches in these urgent situations. Authorities do not have DNA databases, space in morgues, and have little forensic science training. Ways of identifying remains involve odontology, bitemarks, and saliva. These provide a means of identifying through individual characteristics and DNA. Evidence is usually mishandled and not tested, or purposely lost to stop the investigation, thus, involving corruption. Criminal organizations, known as cartels, bribe authorities to receive impunity and receive no punishment or consequence. These cartels spread violence and fear onto citizens, and in each other, attempting to dominate territories and areas rich in resources. The violence used can range from gun violence to torture and dismemberment. Women are being discarded as if their lives had no value, so much so, Mexico has criminalized femicides and set essentials to identify the crime. Past and current Mexican presidents’ attempts to fight organized crime have led to more violence, an environment where women are brutalized, and a lack of justice as these cases become the norm.

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