Authorities in the border state of Chihuahua, Mexico are working to discover how 383 dead bodies came to be piled inside a crematorium and other buildings in the city of Juarez as well as identifying the bodies, which were discovered on June 26.

Police discovered the bodies after nearby residents and passersby complained about foul odors coming from the crematorium.

Apparently, relatives of some of those found in the crematorium had received ashes and urns that they were told belonged to their loved ones, but the bodies were never actually cremated.

Seventy bodies were found in bags in the Juarez crematorium building, while the rest were found inside other buildings owned by the same company.

Not organized crime

Chihuahua’s governor, Maria Eugenia “Maru” Campos, blamed the discovery on “irresponsible and unscrupulous” business owners, emphasizing that it was not tied to organized crime.

Campos also said that the crematorium had the proper permits and licenses to operate.

According to Chihuahua's government website, the owner and an employee of the Plenitud crematorium have been arrested and are being held for trial on charges of disrespecting human remains.

The crematorium was contracted by six or seven local funeral homes to provide cremation services. The bodies police found stacked in rooms of the crematorium had been embalmed but not cremated.

Investigation ongoing

According to the attorney general, the investigation into why the bodies piled up like they did is ongoing.

"We will seek the highest possible penalty for those responsible. The actions or inactions of the authorities responsible for overseeing these types of establishments will be investigated. We will conduct a serious investigation, seeking to minimize the re-victimization of the families already experiencing this," the attorney general said, according to an English translation of the website.

Some of the bodies have already been identified, and dozens of relatives have contacted authorities saying they suspect they received fake ashes of their relatives.

The situation is unprecedented, and it makes one wonder whether the owner and/or employee were mentally ill.

Anyone thinking logically would realize that they would eventually be caught because of the smell and the inability to hide that many dead bodies.

We can only pray that the bodies will be able to be identified and properly taken care of, now that they have been found.