Mexico City-Led Search Finds 38 Bodies in Huitzilac Forest in First Week
The first week of the Triple Frontera search in Huitzilac, Morelos, found 38 deceased people. Who took part, where they searched and when the search resumes.
A joint search for missing people in the forests of Huitzilac, Morelos, found the remains of 38 deceased people in its first week, the Mexico City Search Commission for Missing Persons (Comisión de Búsqueda de Personas) said on X, El Universal reported. The commission said the work ended “with no serious security incident.”
The operation, called the Triple Frontera Metropolitan Search (Búsqueda Metropolitana Triple Frontera), will resume from Nov. 17 to 20.
Where the Triple Frontera search took place
Crews worked from Tuesday, Nov. 10, through Friday, Nov. 13, in a wooded area where Mexico City, the state of Morelos and the State of Mexico meet. That border zone gives the operation its name. The commission said no one needed serious medical care during the week.
Officials from the Mexico City, Morelos, State of Mexico and federal governments took part, along with 91 families of missing people and volunteers who support them. The teams used 20 search dog units and 25 drones, according to the commission. Public servants made up the large majority of the people on the ground, with the families working alongside them.
The commission published the weekly tally on its X account after the last day of work on Friday. Along with the 38 finds, it reported that the week passed without serious medical cases or security incidents in the forest, which sits on the edge of three jurisdictions.
The first day
At the end of the first day, commission head Luis Gómez Negrete said searchers had ruled out 11 possible leads and found one deceased person near the first search zone. He said 680 people from various agencies took part that day.
Gómez Negrete said the find showed why the work has to be careful and thorough, and that it brings authorities closer to identifying the person.
What it means for families in Mexico City
The search is run by Mexico City authorities together with families who look for missing relatives, known in Mexico as buscadoras. Families of people who disappeared in the capital and nearby states follow these operations closely, since each find starts an identification process that can give them answers.
The commission has not said how many of the 38 people have been identified. The next phase runs Nov. 17 to 20 in the same border region.
Source: El Universal
