Veracruz ranks first nationwide in the number of bodies stored in forensic medical services, with a total of 2,773, according to the 2025 National Census of State Justice Administration by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).
The report states that the bodies correspond to both recent arrivals and accumulated from previous years that have not been identified or released to relatives. Nationally, 10,045 bodies were reported stored in the forensic services of the Attorney General’s Office and state prosecutor’s offices.
In the comparison, Veracruz surpassed states such as Quintana Roo (1,609 bodies), Chihuahua (1,068), and Guerrero (851), which ranked next.
Bodies received by prosecutors’ offices in 2024
During 2024, Veracruz recorded 4,784 bodies received by the Attorney General’s Office and state units, placing the state in sixth place nationwide. Of this total, 731 were women, 3,881 were men, and 172 could not be identified by sex.
The State of Mexico accounted for the largest number, with 11,353 bodies received, followed by Guanajuato (7,646), Baja California (7,503), Mexico City (7,185), and Chihuahua (4,936). Veracruz contributed 4.7% of the national total, which amounted to 100,019 bodies.
Forensic Infrastructure in Veracruz
The state has 23 forensic medical service centers, placing it second in the nation, behind only the State of Mexico (24). In addition, 25 forensic and forensic service units were registered, a figure similar to that of Tabasco and surpassed only by Jalisco, Michoacán, and Guanajuato.
Regarding laboratories, Veracruz reports 12 forensic facilities, of which only one has a current maintenance policy. None are certified or accredited, which limits the ability to guarantee optimal conditions for forensic practice.
Forensic Services Personnel and Budget
The census shows that Veracruz has 535 personnel in forensic and forensic medical services, of which 473 are experts, 59 are administrative staff, and three hold management positions. With this figure, the state is among the states with the highest number of specialists, along with Mexico City, the State of Mexico, Chihuahua, and Jalisco.
In terms of budget, Veracruz allocated 283.7 million pesos to forensic and expert services during 2024, placing it sixth in the nation. The Attorney General’s Office accounted for the largest expenditure, with 1,823.9 million pesos.
Requests for Expertise and Backlog
The INEGI (National Institute of Statistics and Geography) also reports that in 2024, Veracruz received 152,007 requests for expert intervention, of which 143,381 were concluded. However, the state maintains a backlog of 288,800 pending cases, placing it among the highest in the country in terms of unresolved cases.
The largest backlog falls on state units, with more than 288,000 pending requests. Nationally, the State of Mexico and Mexico City were the entities with the most requests for expert appraisals, while Veracruz ranked 12th.
Source: avcnoticias
