Baja California’s judiciary announced that a new Semefo (Servicio Médico Forense, the state forensic medical service) facility in Playas de Rosarito will begin operations between May and June 2026. The Rosarito forensic facility will include cold storage capacity for 90 bodies, built at a cost of 650,000 pesos ($36,000 USD).
Funeral Homes Currently Store Bodies in Rosarito
Rosarito has lacked its own forensic morgue until now. Deceased individuals in the municipality are currently stored through agreements with local funeral homes, an arrangement that has strained both capacity and protocol. The new Semefo facility will give the city, located about 20 minutes south of Tijuana on the toll road to Ensenada, its first dedicated forensic infrastructure.
The Poder Judicial de Baja California (PJBC), the state’s judicial branch, is overseeing the project. In early March 2026, PJBC also launched a WhatsApp service for Semefo inquiries statewide. The coastal zone covering Ensenada and Rosarito uses the number 646 1489756 for that service, directed by Magistrado Alejandro Isaac Fragozo López.
Expansion Across Four Baja California Municipalities
Rosarito is not the only city getting new forensic capacity. The judiciary is also opening a Semefo office in Tecate, the small border city east of Tijuana, at a cost of 300,000 pesos ($17,000 USD). That Tecate office will not include cold storage.
In Ensenada, the state is pursuing land donations to build a full forensic center, though no timeline has been set. Tijuana’s Semefo, currently located on Bulevar Fundadores, is already undergoing expansion. Phase one construction of a new Tijuana facility was nearing completion earlier this year, with Karen Postlethwaite Montijo, head of the state infrastructure ministry (SIDURT), confirming the building would be handed over for equipment installation. Phase two construction in Tijuana is scheduled to begin in 2027.
Baja California’s forensic system has faced persistent overcrowding tied to the state’s high homicide rate. Tijuana alone regularly ranks among Mexico’s most violent cities, and the lack of morgue space has forced temporary storage solutions across the region for years.
The Rosarito Semefo is expected to open by June 2026, with Tijuana’s expanded facility following in phases through 2027, according to Punto Norte.