Nine bodies found near border with U.S.

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico – Police acting on a tip found nine bodies partially buried in the desert on the outskirts of the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, an official said Saturday.

Investigators are searching the desert site to see whether there are any more bodies.

An official with the state prosecutor’s office said a police officer’s badge was found at the site.

State security official Enrique Torres Valadez said a total of nine bodies, seven male and two female, have been found so far.

“One was handcuffed, all were tortured,” he said.

Ciudad Juarez has been hit by a wave of drug-fueled violence, prompting federal authorities to dispatch thousands of soldiers.