Mexico disappearance crisis: activists search wastewater channels for remains

Members of the Colectiva Feminista Ehécatl in Mexico are conducting dangerous searches for human remains within wastewater channels in the State of Mexico. These waterways have been utilized by organized crime groups as clandestine aquatic graves to hide victims of the country’s ongoing disappearance crisis.

Documentary filmmaker Jorge Ángel Pablo García captured these efforts in the film ‘Canales de la muerte: la última frontera’. Activist and collective founder Carmen Zamora reported that the group has recovered 40 bodies from these channels over a two-year period, including a newborn baby.

The search efforts occur amidst a severe humanitarian crisis in Mexico. According to the National Registry of Disappeared and Missing Persons, more than 132,000 people have been missing since 2006, while forensic records indicate over 72,000 unidentified bodies nationwide. Families have also criticized official laboratories for inaction regarding the processing of genetic evidence, a problem compounded by the rapid biological decomposition caused by industrial chemicals in the water.