State Dept Documents U.S. Deaths in Mexico, But Not Disappearances

[Jeff Dunsavage]

The drug war in Mexico has claimed at least 70,000 lives, but the full death toll may never be known because thousands are searching for relatives who have disappeared.

Along the border some of those missing in Mexico are U.S. citizens.

“It’s individuals that communicated with their loved ones on a daily basis and all of a sudden they disappear,” said Oscar Hagelseib, assistant special agent in charge of Homeland Security’s investigations in El Paso.

The agency helped Mexico pinpoint the location of a mass grave in the Valley of Juarez last November.

“The intelligence was there was a strong possibility there were United States citizens there,” said Hagelseib.

The U.S. State Department documents the deaths of Americans in Mexico, but does not keep a comprehensive report of U.S. citizens who disappeared.

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