Chihuahua, Chih., February 18, 2022.- At the Center for the Human Rights of Women (CEDEHM), together with the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF) and the Attorney General of the State of Chihuahua (FGE) we have made efforts aimed at identifying the remains found in our state.

Such is the case of the identification of Lucio Chávez Zagasta, Martín Lorenzo Chávez Quintero and Fátima Ochoa Márquez, who were listed as disappeared since 2010.

Yesterday, their family members were notified that the skeletal remains had been found, by chance, in a clandestine grave located in the Western region of the state; more specifically along the stretch of road that leads from San Juanito to Guerrero, Chih., and that they were identified through genetic and anthropological forensic processes.

These joint efforts are extremely important to make progress on disappearances, and to gain access to truth and justice. We accompany families in these difficult times and appreciate their trust.

For years, Mexico has faced a crisis of disappeared individuals, totaling more than 95,000 nationwide and more than 3,500 in the state of Chihuahua alone. According to the third report by the federal government, between September 2020 and July 2021, 479 clandestine graves were located throughout the country, with 1,048 remains, out of which only 239 identifications were made.

We call on all authorities at the three levels of government to work harder and increase resources to search for the disappeared in Chihuahua.

The loss of the disappeared has left a void in all of us.