SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — There are now a reported 32 groups of volunteers searching for missing people throughout the state of Baja California, including 20 in the city of Tijuana alone.

Many of these groups are often involved in digging up the remains of people who have been reported missing, kidnapped, or may have been killed by cartels.

They respond to anonymous tips and information provided by the public, often without the help of police or government funding.

Since last month, at one site near Mexicali, just south of the border, at least 18 bodies have been found in what is being called the “narco cemetery,” as volunteers continue their work hoping to find other victims.

At another location nearby, the remains of 12 more people have been located.

“There are many who want to get involved,” said Fernando Ocegueda Flores, president of the United Association for Missing Persons. “Some of these groups have maybe three to four members. It’s up to us to bring them together and be more effective in what we’re trying to do.”

The association is in the process “streamlining” the groups convincing them that “less is more,” as a way to better coordinate their searches, he said.