Based in Guadalajara, Mexico, Maria Aguilar has been on the hunt for her son for more than ten years. Like countless other families in Mexico with missing loved ones, she has spent endless days combing through vast, desolate landscapes in search of clues that could lead to the discovery of her son’s remains.
Now, Aguilar and the collective she formed to help find missing persons will be equipped with new technology for their search – drones fitted with thermosensitive cameras that can detect anomalies in the ground, potentially indicating an unmarked grave.
In addition to the drones, chemical detectors can be inserted into the ground to spot biological changes in the soil, such as elevated nitrogen and humidity levels, which could suggest the presence of human remains. This technology could help narrow down potential search areas.
Over the years, mothers like Aguilar, seeking their missing children, have engaged in exhaustive, methodical, manual searches across vast potential burial sites in Mexico – often with little success, and sometimes even putting their own lives at risk.
There are more than 100,000 people missing in Mexico, largely due to violence from drug cartels. Many of these individuals are murdered and buried in hidden graves, with authorities having limited knowledge of the locations of these burial sites and lacking the resources to continue searching.
The introduction of drones has brought renewed hope to families, as they aim to finally provide a proper resting place for their loved ones.
Victor Hugo Avila Barrientos, the commissioner for missing people in the western Mexican state of Jalisco, noted, “This (technology) ensures we don’t waste time and energy searching hectares and hectares, but instead go straight to areas where there’s a high possibility of finding remains.”
He added, “This will also help minimize the threat to families and authorities,” referring to a recent incident where a trap was set for those searching for bodies.
Teams from the University of Oxford are assisting authorities and non-governmental organizations in Jalisco with drone training and resources, having already successfully located some clandestine graves in the country.
Tunuari Chavez, who leads analysis for the Jalisco search commission, expressed excitement about a more science-based approach to locating missing persons, saying, “This is about using nature to get the clues.”
Having been searching for her son since 2011, Aguilar is hopeful that the technology will bring an end to her long quest for the truth about her son’s disappearance.
She said, “This definitely gives us more hope,” during a training session on how to use the drones, adding, “We’re going to keep searching.”
(Reporting by Jose Luis Osorio, Writing by Isabel Woodford; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
