[FOUND] Technologies for Locating our Disappeared

Over 120,000 persons are reported as disappeared in Mexico. Behind each case there is a family searching for answers.

FOUND brings together cutting-edge technology, forensic science, and the lived expertise of mothers’ search collectives to locate those who we are missing. We work in close collaboration with these groups, combining traditional search knowledge with tools like drones, LiDAR, multi & hyperspectral imaging, seismic sensors, conductivimetry measurements, and satellite data.

🌱 Driven by families and research communities

FOUND is guided and motivated by mothers’ search groups and researchers from CentroGeo, IPN, UNAM, UdeG, Oxford, Bristol, Bath, Cambridge, and the Autonomous Universities of Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí.

We are working directly with

• Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General
• UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
• Local Search Commissions and Attorney’s Offices of Jalisco, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, and Chihuahua (Mexico)
• ⁠Colombian Search Unit
• ⁠Mexico’s National Search Commission
• ⁠Mexican Science and Technology Secretariat
• ⁠British Embassy in Mexico City
• British Association for Forensic Anthropology

Our Methods: Technologies in Action

• Multispectral & Hyperspectral Imaging
• Airborne LiDAR & Laser Technology
• Seismic Noise Interferometry (TIRSA)
• Electrical Resistivity Tomography, Conductivimetry Measurements
• Satellite Spectral Analysis
• Forensic Entomology, Botany, Territorial Analysis, Soil Science

The Role of Searching Mothers Collectives

Searching mothers in Mexico are at the heart of FOUND’s work. These women-led collectives, formed out of necessity in the face of limited or ineffective State action, have become the most consistent force in the search for the disappeared.

Their determination and accumulated knowledge have led to the discovery of thousands of clandestine graves and have reshaped national conversations around disappearance and justice.

Their methods—developed through years of lived experience—represent a vital form of forensic knowledge. At FOUND, we are committed to listening, learning, and incorporating their practices into our own technological approaches. Their insights shape how we use drones, remote sensing, and geophysical tools in the field.

Partners