In Mexico, mothers of the missing turn to drones to look for unmarked graves

A member of the Jalisco's Search Commission stands next to relatives of missing persons while showing them a drone mounted with thermo-sensitive cameras, that show distortions in the soil which could point to a mass grave, in Cajititlan, Jalisco state, Mexico, December 21, 2023. REUTERS/Jose Luis Osorio

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (Reuters) - Maria Aguilar has been searching for her son for over a decade. She, like thousands of Mexicans whose loved ones are missing, has spent countless days scanning vast tracts of barren land for clues, in the hope of finding his remains.

Now Aguilar and the "missing persons" collective she founded will be armed in their search with new technology - drones mounted with thermosensitive cameras that can show distortions in the soil which could point to an unmarked grave.