No Evidence of Cremations Found at Controversial Mexican Ranch, Authorities Say

In a recent press conference, Mexican Attorney General Alejandro Gertz addressed the ongoing investigations surrounding an abandoned ranch in western Mexico that some groups had labeled as an "extermination camp." This ranch, located in the village of Teuchitlán near Guadalajara, was initially thought to have been a site of mass cremations due to the discovery of personal belongings and burned remains. However, Gertz emphasized that the evidence collected does not support such claims.According to Gertz, the ranch was unequivocally identified as a training and recruitment base for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, a prominent and violent criminal organization. This conclusion was drawn from various testimonials and documents that pointed to the ranch's connection with cartel operations. Nevertheless, he clarified that "there is not a single piece of evidence to prove" that cremations took place on the premises.Investigators recovered a small container with bone fragments from the ranch's site, prompting suspicions of cremation activities. However, scientific analyses from a Mexico City university indicated no heat levels exceeding 200 degrees Celsius at the site, far below the required temperature of over 800 degrees Celsius for cremations to occur.Earlier assertions from Gertz mentioned the absence of any found crematories on the property, while also hinting at the potential traces of cremation in human remains discovered there. Additionally, Mexico's security minister, Omar García Harfuch, shed light on the narrative that the cartel was responsible for killings of individuals who either resisted training or attempted to flee.The uncertainty surrounding the Izaguirre ranch continues as the search for answers regarding missing persons and the darker operations of drug cartels in Mexico persists.