Members of a volunteer search collective discovered human skeletal remains Friday afternoon in the hills near San Carlos Canyon, south of Ensenada in the Maneadero delegation.
The group Colectivo Buscándolos por Mar y Tierra, which translates to “Searching for Them by Sea and Land,” found the bones during a coordinated search operation alongside state authorities. The remains were located in the open air, exposed on the hillside along with clothing remnants believed to belong to the victim.
Condition of Remains Prevents Identification
Forensic investigators said the advanced deterioration of the skeletal remains makes it impossible to determine the sex of the individual at this stage. Forensic services personnel collected the bones and clothing for transfer to the medical examiner’s office, where further analysis will be conducted.
San Carlos Canyon sits in the Maneadero delegation, a rural area roughly 20 kilometers south of downtown Ensenada along the Transpeninsular Highway. The delegation includes agricultural land and scattered communities between the coast and the inland hills.
Maneadero Area Sees Repeated Grim Discoveries
The find adds to a troubling pattern of discoveries in the Maneadero zone. In recent months, authorities have uncovered multiple serious crime scenes in the area, including what has been described as a mass murder arson site. The rural terrain south of Ensenada has become a frequent focus of organized search efforts by families of missing persons and the collectives that support them.
Colectivo Buscándolos por Mar y Tierra is one of several citizen-led search groups operating across Baja California. These collectives, made up largely of family members of the disappeared, conduct regular field searches in coordination with state prosecutors and forensic teams. Their work has led to the recovery of numerous sets of remains across the state in recent years.
Baja California’s missing persons crisis has driven the formation of dozens of such groups. The state prosecutor’s office, known as the FGE (Fiscalía General del Estado), has acknowledged the collectives as key partners in locating clandestine graves and surface remains in remote areas.
Authorities have not released further details about the identity of the victim or any suspected cause of death. The investigation remains open pending results from the medical examiner.
This story was first reported by Ensenada.net.