The number of decomposing bodies found stacked in a non-descript building at the Mexico-US border is still rising, according to investigators.

Approximately 400 bodies have been discovered at a location in Juarez, which is situated just across the border from El Paso, Texas. This grim find includes 383 complete bodies and 6 partial sets of remains, as reported by the TV station KVIA.

Some of those identified at the presumed secret crematorium might have been deceased for a period spanning three to four years. The discovery of these cadavers came after a tip led authorities to a site on Thursday, resembling a residential property more than a cremation facility.

Most of the dead appeared to have been embalmed, Mexican authorities told reporters during a press conference Monday.

It is unclear why they had not been either buried or incinerated, according to the Border Report.

Owner Jose Luis Arellano Cuaron and an employee will be charged with improper disposal of bodies.

The remains are being checked to ensure the bodies are not victims of murder and more charges could follow. 

A photo released on June 30, 2025, by the Attorney General of Chihuahua state depicts forensic experts investigating at a private crematorium where 383 bodies were uncovered.

Aerial view showing a crematorium where authorities found 383 corpses embalmed in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on June 29, 2025. Police have found 381 corpses piled up in a private crematorium in northern Mexico’s Ciudad Juarez, the local prosecutor’s office said Sunday, attributing the grisly find to negligence

State officials said many of the bodies appear to have come from six different funeral homes in the sprawling border city, where relatives were given ‘ashes’ and were under the belief their loved ones had been properly disposed of. 

‘They constantly received bodies for cremation,’ Chihuahua Attorney General Cesar Jauregui said.

‘They misrepresented hundreds of times to funeral companies they would be cremating those bodies.’

While the owner appeared to have three licenses to operate at one point, it was unclear whether the operation was in good standing.

The governor of the state of Chihuahua told reporters that the crematorium had been run by ‘irresponsible and unscrupulous people who misused these licenses and permits.’

The gruesome discovery also opened the door for closure to the families of hundreds of people who have been missing in the city known for cartel violence. 

During the Biden years, many migrants waiting for legal entry into the US were often kidnapped or went missing. 

‘Of course, all the families and we ourselves were worried and wondered who is there? What bodies are there? Are they identified? The mothers told us, ‘My daughter is not there,'” Yadira Cortez, a representative from the Ciudad Juárez Women’s Roundtable Network told KFOX.

An abandoned hearse sits on the grounds of the crematorium raided by state officials in Juarez, Mexico

Police have found 383 corpses piled up in a private crematorium in northern Mexico’s Ciudad Juarez, the local prosecutor’s office said on June 29, attributing the grisly find to negligence

Investigators have been shifting through the remains since Thursday

An anonymous tip led investigators to the crematorium on Thursday

CIUDAD JUAREZ , MEXICO – JUNE 30: A view of the crematorium where authorities found 383 embalmed corpses in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua State, Mexico, on June 30

The state has opened up a process for anyone who believes their loved one may be there. 

Families are asked to bring an official ID, as well as a description of what their loved one was last wearing and what funeral home they released their loved one’s body to.