At least 44 bodies stuffed in over 100 bags discovered buried in well in Mexico

Authorities in Mexico have identified at least 44 bodies that were discovered among over 100 black bags that were found earlier this month buried in a well in the western part of the country.

The mutilated human remains were discovered Sept. 3 in a well located just outside the city of Guadalajara in the western state of Jalisco after residents reportedly complained about the smell.

“It saddens me to speak in this way, but society has a right to know what is happening,” Jalisco security cabinet chief Macedonio Tamez Guajardo told Mexican news outlet Milenio.

Guajardo told Milenio the bodies were in various states of decomposition. Originally officials said they were able to identify at least 37 people, but the Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences increased that number to 44 people on Friday.

Most of the bodies were cut up, so investigators had to piece together different parts in order to properly identify them, according to the BBC.

Authorities are investigating if there is a link between the mass grave and the discovery of six bodies at an organized crime safehouse in August, Mexico News Daily reported.

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