Fingerprint Scanners Help Mexico ID Thousands

The 300 fingerprint scanners donated by the United Nations to Mexico's forensic services have led to the identification of over 6,000 missing persons, both living and deceased, since December 2024. This breakthrough represents a significant step in resolving the country's forensic crisis, where over 70,000 bodies remain unidentified.

The great advantage of fingerprinting is that it is an economical tool, says Maximilian Murck, Human Identification Coordinator in Mexico, UN National Population Fund (UNFPA). The fingerprint is taken and sent to the National Electoral Institute (INE) for identification, so it comes at no cost for the prosecutors' offices, he adds.

Disappearances are putting Mexico in the middle of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. According to the National Registry of Disappeared and Missing Persons (RNPDNL), over 115,000 people have been reported missing, with an average of one disappearance every 40 minutes in 2024. Disappearances of foreign nationals have also skyrocketed from fewer than 10 in 2000 to nearly 1,000 from 2022 to 2024.

Fundación Justicia stresses that migrants represent one of the most vulnerable and least visible groups, as most of these cases are not formally reported. "So far, the Mexican government has not implemented effective measures to establish a reliable registry of missing migrants, which makes it difficult to adequately address these cases and, even more so, to prevent the kidnappings and disappearances that occur daily," says Fundación Justicia.

Another problem are the over 50,000 unidentified bodies in morgues and mass graves, which have triggered a forensic crisis with a devastating impact on thousands of families.

Are Fingerprint Scanners an Answer?

The donation of 300 fingerprint scanners by the UN represents a crucial technological breakthrough. These devices, developed in collaboration with the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the University of Hamburg, Germany, cost about US$1,200 and allow fingerprints to be checked against the INE database, which contains records of 98 million people. This methodology is faster and cheaper than DNA analysis, which makes it a viable tool for speeding up identifications.

The scanners were distributed to the country's 32 prosecutors' offices and state search commissions, in coordination with the National Search Commission. The identification process begins with the scanning of fingerprints, either from a body or from old documents. The information is sent to INE, which returns the identification data within two weeks, including name, date of birth, photograph, CURP, and address. This system has made it possible to identify people who disappeared over a decade ago. A prominent case is that of journalist Jesús Alberto Camacho, whose body remained for three years in a morgue in Sinaloa before being identified.

In Zacatecas, 208 of 247 bodies identified in the last six months were handed over to their families. Colima, Morelos, Sinaloa and Jalisco have also reported significant progress, publishing the identities of identified persons on their web portals. However, the challenge remains. Between May 2024 and February 2025, the Forensic Medical Service of Culiacán requested information from INE on 450 people, obtaining positive results in 191 cases, of which only 44 could be delivered to their families.

The technology also has limitations. For example, it is not effective for identifying minors under 18 who do not have an INE, nor for migrants whose fingerprints are not registered in Mexican databases. Murck says the next step is to establish partnerships with consulates in countries such as Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala to track missing migrants in Mexico.

Future Prospects and Challenges

The identification of missing persons requires a comprehensive approach that combines technological tools, DNA analysis and the creation of efficient forensic banks. In addition, according to El País, it is essential to strengthen reporting and search systems, especially for vulnerable groups such as migrants, whose disappearance has increased by 20% in the first half of 2024.

The Mexican Foreign Support Mechanism for Search and Investigation (MAEBI) represents a step forward in this regard, as it allows reporting disappearances from abroad. However, its implementation is still limited and requires greater international coordination. Likewise, Fundación Justicia says that the creation of a Search Table for Disappeared Migrants is still a pending debt for the current federal administration.