No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsCrimeNew probe again rejects gov't claim that missing Mexican students were incinerated

New probe again rejects gov’t claim that missing Mexican students were incinerated

MEXICO CITY – A second independent forensic investigation rejected on Tuesday the Mexican government’s conclusion that 43 students who went missing in 2014 were incinerated at a garbage dump.

The Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team said there was “no consistency between the physical evidence” and the testimony of drug gang suspects who claimed that the students were killed and burned at the site.

While the bone remains of at least 19 people were found at the dump in Cocula, southern Guerrero state, they “clearly do not belong” to the trainee teachers, said Miguel Nieva, a member of the Argentine team.

Nieva showed photos and studies of plants demonstrating that there was “not any sign of a recent fire in the vegetation” at the dump in Cocula, southern Guerrero state.

Nieva said there were several blazes at the landfill over the years since 2010, but “no fire occurred on the night of” Sept. 26 to 27, 2014, when the students vanished after they were detained by police in the nearby town of Iguala.

Former Attorney General Jesús Murillo Karám declared last year that the “historic truth” was that the students were delivered to a drug cartel, which killed them, incinerated their bodies at the dump and tossed the remains in a river.

One of the students was identified among the remains found in bags in the river. Authorities also found a possible DNA match for a second student.

But independent investigators from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights rejected the official conclusions in September, saying a fire expert found no scientific evidence of a massive funeral pyre at the dump.

Attorney General Arely Gómez has vowed to conduct a new forensic investigation with international experts while looking at other lines of investigation into the possible final destination of the students.

Trending Now

Costa Rica’s Pride 2025 Closing Event Bans Minors, Sparks Outrage

Costa Rica’s Pride 2025 closing event, set for June 29 at San José’s Plaza de la Democracia, was thrown into controversy when the government...

Celso Gamboa Allegedly Ran Drug Ring with Costa Rican Government Ties

Celso Gamboa, once Costa Rica’s Security Minister and a Supreme Court judge, now faces extradition to the U.S. for leading a major cocaine trafficking...

A Costa Rica Love Story: From Rustic Cabina to Separate Dreams

My Tica wife and I have been together for over a quarter century. When we met, I was living a simple life here. Three...

Costa Rica’s Pride March 2025 Defies Restrictions and Celebrates Diversity

A large crowd gathered in Paseo Colón, San José, to participate in the LGBTIQ+ Pride March 2025. It began at noon, as people marched...

Prisma Dental in Costa Rica Keeps Customers Happy and Smiling

I am 81 years old and have had teeth removed, bridges, and cavities fixed several times to sustain my ability to eat and function....

Costa Rica Hunts for Nicaraguan Hit Squad After Exile’s Assassination

Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) is investigating whether a hit squad tied to Nicaragua’s Ortega-Murillo regime is targeting exiled critics on its soil....
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica