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By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
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A large number of human skulls were found at a property in southeastern New Mexico on Saturday, according to the Lea County Sheriff's Office.
Officials discovered the human remains, including evidence of 10 to 20 human skulls, at a home in the small city of Jal, which borders Texas, the authorities said in a statement. They launched an investigation on November 5 after receiving a report from a resident who had an "unsettling encounter" with a man he gave a ride to.
According to the Lea County Sheriff's Office, the resident claimed the man made several "alarming statements" and disposed of what appeared to be human remains from the vehicle. Officers searched near a convenience store and the man's reported location and uncovered human bone fragments.
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Authorities then visited a property on South 4th Street where the suspect had been residing, which officials said was "associated with rumors of human remains," the sheriff's office said.
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On November 6, officials executed a search warrant at the property and discovered additional bone fragments, including parts of a skull and jawbone.
A second search carried out on November 9 uncovered evidence of 10 to 20 human skulls, which were sent to the Office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque for further analysis and possible identification.
Michael Walker, Undersheriff at Lea County Sheriff's Office, told Newsweek: "The belief is that the skulls were purchased online over several years. We confirmed that it is possible to buy real human bones online. We will discuss the next course of action with the anthropologist at some point today. I will let you know when we have more information."
Separately, the police reported that this case may be closely linked to the disappearance of a woman whose last known residence was near the property under investigation. Authorities stated that Angela McManes, 43, was last seen in Jal on May 14, 2019.
Officials are working to determine if any of the remains are connected to the missing persons case from 2019. They are also looking into other possible victims, and the remains have yet to be identified.
Anyone with further information is encouraged to contact the Lea County Sheriff's Office at 575-396-3611 or Lea County Crimestoppers at 575-393-8005.
It comes after a Mexico-based volunteer group found piles of charred bones hidden in two properties in a suspected cartel "extermination" site south of the border in Matamoros, Tamaulipas.
The state's medical examiner confirmed on August 26 that the group uncovered four skeletal remains and 54 bone fragments in one property alone.
In a second property, the group uncovered 7 "tambos" containers, one of which contained fragments of human remains.
These gruesome sites are sometimes called "narco kitchens" or "cocinas" in Spanish, and they serve as makeshift crematoriums where cartels dissolve or burn the bodies of their victims to eliminate evidence of their crimes.
Update 11/13/24 at 10:42 a.m. ET; This article has been updated with comment from the Lea County Sheriff's Office.
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