Thermal devices, dead pigs help to find Mexico's missing

First the scientists dress dead swine in clothes, then they dispose of the carcasses. Some they wrap in packing tape, others they chop up. They stuff the animals into plastic bags or wrap them in blankets. They cover them in lime or burn them. Some are buried alone, others in groups.

Then they watch.

The pigs play an unlikely role in research to help find the staggering number of people who went missing in Mexico during decades of drug cartel violence.

Families of the missing were often left to look for their loved ones with little support from authorities. Now, government scientists are testing the newest satellite, geophysical and biological mapping techniques — along with the pigs — to offer clues that they hope could lead to the discovery of at least some of the bodies.

130,000 mis