More dead bodies found at garden of ex-policeman in El Salvador

The bodies of at least eight people were recovered from a grave found in the home of a former police officer in El Salvador. The graves may contain more bodies, most of which are thought of as women or girls.

The exhumation of all the bodies could take another month. Police believe the discovery reveals a secret murder ring that has been working for over a decade. El Salvador has one of Latin America's highest rates of homicide, the murder of a woman or a girl because of her sex.

Hugo Ernesto Osorio Chávez, 51, was arrested in the city of Chalchuapa this month for killing a 57-year-old woman and her 26-year-old daughter. The former officer, who was previously investigated for sex crimes, admitted to killing the couple.

But when forensic teams searched his home about 78 kilometers north of the capital, San Salvador, they found at least seven wells containing corpses, some of which may have been buried two years ago.

Authorities said the discovery indicated that there was a murder ring that could last for a decade.

Prosecutor Max Muñóz said on Friday that eight bodies had been recovered from one of the graves. DNA tests will be performed to determine the identities of the victims, he said.

Earlier officials said the remains of at least 24 people had been found. No explanation was given for the updated score.