24 Chiapas residents identified with biometric data at the Quintana Roo State Police (SEMEFO)

TUXTLA GUTIÉRREZ, Chis., (apro) .- A total of 24 bodies of people originally from Chiapas remain in the Forensic Medical Service (SEMEFO) of Quintana Roo, unclaimed by their families. Authorities have identified them through fingerprints, but so far there has been no response or contact from their loved ones.

The existence of the bodies of Chiapas residents in the SEMEFO (National Electoral Service) in Quintana Roo became known after the Attorney General's Office (FGE) of that state reported the initial results of the fingerprint comparison of 456 unidentified deceased individuals with the National Electoral Institute (INE).

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Mexico and the Quintana Roo Attorney General's Office launched a digital platform with a database of identified individuals, including 24 Chiapas residents.

The remaining 161 bodies are from Veracruz, Tabasco, Quintana Roo, the State of Mexico, Yucatán, Campeche, Guanajuato, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas.

Sources from the Quintana Roo Federal Government (FGE) reported that the bodies were found under various circumstances and have been held at the forensic facilities in Cancún for several months. Most of the deceased are young men, and some show signs of violent death.

"In addition to the human suffering, the problem is compounded by overcrowding in the morgue: there are currently hundreds of unidentified bodies awaiting forensic examinations, which is causing a collapse in the state's forensic services," the source added.

In response, the Prosecutor's Office has set up a hotline so that relatives can check if a loved one is among the identified bodies: (998) 881 7150, extension 2130.

For several years, Indigenous farmers—particularly Tsotsil and Tseltal—have been migrating to the Riviera Maya to work in cities like Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and other tourist areas in Quintana Roo, for a combination of economic, social, and structural reasons.

The constant demand for labor in the hotel, restaurant, and construction industries often favors hiring Indigenous workers because they are considered "hard workers" or because they are paid less. Although wages are not always fair, they represent a significant improvement compared to rural incomes in Chiapas.

The 24 Chiapas residents who came to Quintana Roo to work are originally from the municipalities of Tila, Chanelhó, Villa Comaltitlán, Las Margaritas, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Palenque, Chilón, Chapultenango, Tuxtla, Ocosingo, Altamirano, Oxchuc, and San Juan Cancuc.

In many states, unclaimed bodies end up in forensic mass graves, making subsequent identification difficult, even through DNA.