A NIGHTMARISH mass grave site has been uncovered during a family’s desperate search for a missing person in Mexico.
Three secret ovens with burned bodies inside were found at the horrifying scene, among disturbing piles of items left behind at the gruesome grounds including hundreds of pairs of abandoned shoes.
A private volunteer group looking for missing family members in Jalisco, Mexico, found the hidden ranch in Teuchitlán, which is in the western part of the state.
The nonprofit Guerreros Buscadores collective went to the remote area after a call from an unnamed informant on March 5.
“We found the place because we had received several anonymous calls,” Indira Navarro, a member of the search group, told AFP.
“We found charred remains, remains of charred human bodies in graves.”
Bones, bullet casings, and magazines were found at the grisly yard, which was reportedly a training center for organized crime.
The notorious Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel is believed to be behind the secret extermination camp, cops said.
The Mexican government announced on Tuesday that they would be investigating the yard as Attorney General Alejandro Gertz vowed to find answers.
“This is a very critical and serious issue,” Gertz said at a press conference.
“It is unbelievable that a situation of this nature would not have been known to the local authorities of that municipality and the state.”
While searching the site, cops found three cremation furnaces used by the CJNG.
Members of the National Guard also found a warehouse with piles of clothing items, backpacks, and suitcases.
Cops also found around 400 pairs of shoes left behind, according to the Latin Times.
Haunting footage from the property showed investigators searching through the dumped shoes.
The personal items are believed to have belonged to victims who were kidnapped and killed at the death camp, which is known as Izaguirre Ranch.
HAUNTING GRAVE SITE FINDS
One of the most disturbing findings at the ranch was a handwritten letter written by one of the victims.
“My love, if one day I never return, I only ask that you remember how much I love you and say, ‘My anger, tantrum, and jealousy are gone.'” the letter said.
Investigators also found a Bible with three pictures of children.
“These photos found at the Teuchitlán ranch may be a sign of hope for some family,” the collective said, according to the Daily Mail.
“Mom or dad was carrying them, and they were found nestled in the middle of a Bible.”
Searchers also found a notebook with a page featuring the nicknames of 54 victims.
Cops said the list was grouped by 10 people at a time.
Officials haven’t confirmed the names of the victims.
Jalisco is the Mexican state with the most missing people, according to the National Search Commission.
Nearly 15,000 remain missing in the state.
Mexico is a hot potato right now with cartels being labeled as terrorist organization affiliates.There’s a lot of uncertainty of how the Mexican cartels are going to react. We’ve seen an uptick in violence.”
Stacy Zinn
It comes as President Donald Trump‘s ironclad approach against Mexican drug cartels has forced the country’s government to come down hard on powerful criminal syndicates.
Trump’s executive order designated eight Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Plus, his tariff threats against Mexico sparked measures against fentanyl production in Sinaloa state, the home of the Sinaloa Cartel, the most powerful gang.
The government has since enacted arrests, extraditions, and drug lab busts and seizures.
WARNING TO SPRING BREAKERS
However, a former Drug Enforcement Agent warned The U.S. Sun that the crackdown might put Spring Breakers in Mexico in danger.
Stacy Zinn, a retired DEA official who spent nearly 23 years at the agency, said rival gangs are now left battling for power in tourist hotspots with the major players out of the picture.
“Mexico is a hot potato right now with cartels being labeled as terrorist organization affiliates,” Zinn told The U.S. Sun.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty of how the Mexican cartels are going to react.
“We’ve seen an uptick in violence. There was more of cartel versus cartel type situations but Americans or travelers can still get caught up in the crossfire of the rival members, who are trying to establish new boundaries.
Zinn continued, “The more that we arrest individuals and they get extradited back up to the United States, the more of a void it leaves in Mexico, which means that people are going to be dying for positioning and see the uptick.”
