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Abstract

Clandestine graves are increasing at an alarming rate in Mexico, as cartels fight for dominance over the wealthiest territories. Those who fall victim to cartels are brutally tortured into submission or are murdered and disposed of. These graves are the preferred method of body disposal by the cartels. By disposing of various victims in hidden locations, the cartels seek to erase the existence of these individuals. Victims are reduced to only bone fragments and ash. Friends and family of those who have gone missing have created a large search organization, Madres Buscadoras, to combat the helplessness of authorities. Madres Buscadoras search remote locations in hopes of finding the remains of their missing loved ones in clandestine graves. Citizens are forced to live in a violent and death-normalized environment, unable to receive aid from corrupt law enforcement, making it a humanitarian crisis. Aside from corruption, authorities do not have enough forensic anthropologists to help identify remains. In rare cases, forensic anthropology is used to analyze the remains. Forensic anthropologists can determine species, death signs, ancestry, age of death, sex, height, individual characteristics, and cause of death, which benefits investigations and brings families closure.

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