Mexican authorities say 36 is final tally of bodies found in backyard

Associated Press - March 15, 2008 11:23 PM ET

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexican officials now say that 36 bodies have been found buried in the backyard of a house in a city across the border from El Paso, Texas.

Mexican federal agents began digging behind a Ciudad Juarez (SEE'-yoo-dahd hwah-REZ') house allegedly used by the Juarez drug cartel two weeks ago after receiving an anonymous tip.

Investigators found 3,740 pounds of marijuana in the house. They initially found six dismembered bodies, but as excavations went on the tally rose.

The Attorney General's office says the remains date back about five years and all but three apparently are males. The statement says investigators are still trying to determine how the victims died and who buried the bodies.

Cartels frequently use "safe houses" in border cities to store drugs, house gunmen and dispose of dead rivals.

In January 2004, police unearthed a grave containing 12 bodies in a Ciudad Juarez backyard.
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