by proldic » Sat Aug 06, 2005 2:35 pm
Forensic Experts to Unearth Bodies of Women Killed in Mexican Border City<br>The Associated Press <br>Published: Aug 5, 2005 <br><br>CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AP) - A team of forensic experts will unearth the bodies of women killed in this Mexican border city to help identify them and determine the cause of death, officials said Friday. <br>Members of the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team have began collecting DNA samples of family members with a missing relative to compare them with bodies buried in the city's common grave, state prosecutor Claudia Velarde said. <br><br>Velarde said the forensic team will also run DNA tests for families of women killed in this border city who still doubt they were given their relative's remains. <br><br>"What we want is to give the relatives some peace of mind," Velarde said. <br><br>Victims' have long demanded that independent investigators take part in the probes, saying efforts by state officials have been tainted by inept and corrupt police officers. <br><br>Authorities say 360 women have been killed over the past 12 years in Ciudad Juarez, a city of 1.3 million across from El Paso, Texas. About 100 of those cases apparently involved young women who were sexually assaulted, strangled, and dumped in the desert. <br><br>At least 20 unidentified women remain at the city's morgue, authorities say. <br><br><br><br> <p></p><i></i>
