EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Authorities in Jalisco say human remains found this week inside 45 plastic bags could be those of Mexican bilingual call center employees who went missing last month.
State police using a helicopter and trained ground teams found the black bags on Tuesday along a ravine at Mirador del Bosque in Zapopan, about 20 miles west of Guadalajara, Mexico. The Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences is examining the remains to confirm identities. The state attorney general said the search for additional remains was still in progress.
“As part of the investigation and search for the eight young people […] the Attorney General’s Office held an informational meeting with the families,” Jalisco state authorities said Thursday on social media. “They were informed about the findings […] regarding unidentified deceased persons that, according to preliminary information, coincide in their physical characteristics with some of the young people missing.”
At least seven employees of a time-share sales call center went missing early last week. State officials believe they were abducted by an organized criminal gang.
“We have some accounts regarding the participation of armed individuals in several vehicles in a show of force typical of organized crime,” state Attorney General Joaquin Mendez Ruiz told reporters on Thursday. Asked if the call center was legitimate or not, Mendez said, “We are investigating all angles. Right now, we are focused on finding the victims” of the abductions.
Authorities said they found a vehicle belonging to one of the missing people near the call center that operated inside a home in Zapopan, but computers the employees used for work appear to be missing.
Zapopan Mayor Juan Jose Frangie Saade told Mexican media the call center was unregistered and had no permits to operate.
Mendez said authorities would continue to update the case through the AG’s Office web and social media pages and will keep talking to families of the missing and volunteers who assisted in the search.
