Nine Bodies Found in Clandestine Grave in Mexico

VERACRUZ, Mexico – The bodies of nine people were found in a clandestine grave in the Mexican Gulf coast state of Veracruz as part of a missing-persons investigation, the state Attorney General’s Office said.

The grave was discovered by Mexican navy personnel at a property in the coastal town of Alvarado. Most of the bodies bore tattoos covering most their skin, the AG’s office said Friday.

After the find, numerous relatives of disappeared persons in Veracruz arrived at a coroner’s office and a regional prosecutor’s office in the municipality of Boca del Rio seeking permission to view the bodies and determine if they correspond to their loved ones.

Between 2006 and 2015, 3,089 missing-person complaints have been filed in Veracruz state, which has been hard hit by drug-gang violence in recent years.