-i'm sorry? The Untold Truth Of The West Mesa Murders. a.p. Almost no media coverage and the killer was never caught. The Bone Collector- 11 bodies were found in the dessert of New Mexico. so, let's make this the summer of loving your gut. Lopez spent years investigating the case and soon became a significant figure in the West Mesa murders. i said all right. >> it's a lot of people. >> they would say we found a skull that had a lot of hair and she's pregnant. had been booked. West Mesa murder victims Evelyn Salazar, left, and Cinnamon Elks. >> reporter: then came the teen years.me when life started coming at michelle valdez fast and furious. >> and you thought, this is it. All they ever found, however, were the bones and DNA of 11 people. Dateline is anchored by Lester Holt and features correspondents Andrea Canning, Josh Mankiewicz,. Dirk Gibson has no faith that will change, because police lack the necessary incentive. News and Information, Talk and Interview NEW S31 E19 | 02/26/23 The Window WATCH LATEST EPISODE. >> reporter: investigators had plenty of leads but none that had gotten them closer to answering two questions -- who was he? He was sentenced to death in September 2016 before California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a moratorium on capital punishment in the state. They arrested him again a year later as he raped and strangled a sex worker that he apparently never had any plans to pay, since he only had $2 in his wallet at the time. >> i know 100% that my daughter is not alive. and i don't have phone records. jane doe number 8 was michelle valdez. >> you're a prisoner in this apartment now. woof because nothing should come between you and your furry friend especially not allergic itch! On December 9, 2010, Albuquerque police released six photos of seven other unidentified women who may also be linked to West Mesa. >> reporter: at 14 most kids rightfully think their best years are ahead of them. it was a bit of frontier justice for montoya, who was about to literally get away with murder. her face bore the kind of sores that suggested she'd been hitting the crack pipe.ug >> when did you notice things were going wrong? >> do you think we're dealing with one guy here? i am comfortable with the fact that we gave her a proper burial as a human being should be buried. Barela is the only victim who police say wasn't known to have been subjected to sex trafficking. >> definitely. Fortunately, the detective came back on a contractual basis to investigate the West Mesa murders. >> reporter: over the years ida's list of the lost had grown to include close to two dozen women who fit the same basic profile -- young drug-addicted hispanic women who were known to wander the gritty streets of albuquerque's war zone. we had to utilize the joplin police department. Does anyone have any theories or info on this one? A sinister force seems to be snatching women off the streets of Albuquerque. our daughters. West Mesa Murder Victims Jamie Barela Jamie Barela, 15, was last seen with her 23-year-old cousin Evelyn Salazar heading to a park at San Mateo and Gibson SE in April 2004. Police also saw him stalking sex workers after the West Mesa murders. so i keep them, do my full boheh background on them. These are the eleven victims identified in as being found in the dumping ground in the West Mesa. A 2004 image showed a set of tire tracks leading directly to the area. -oh, what am i into? . The same evening, Wozniak went on to perform in his local theatre production of the musical Nine. >> the majority of our girls were street-level prostitutes. there's no way. and it was here while posing as a decoy during prostitution sting operations that she learned the raw power of their addictions. but that's not what she told the families when they called in, looking to hear something encouraging. we came upon it, and it appeared to be a bone. >> she was last seen in denver. because, they suppose, all those earlier rumors about the women being abducted, killed, and dumped in the desert had to have started somewhere. According to the Albuquerque Journal, it all began when a woman out for a walk with her dog in a part of the city known as the West Mesa made a grisly discovery in February 2009. Are there any other episodes or podcasts you'd recommend that discuss this further? served. >> i was only 8 years old and becoming an aunt, you know. febreze finds odors trapped in fabrics (bubbles popping) and cleans them away as it dries. Today, two suspects remain only of whom is still alive. >> yeah. Ida Lopez, a missing persons detective from the Alberquerque Police Department, became increasingly attached to the unsolved homicide of 11 women and an unborn fetus, whose remains were discovered in one of the city's deserts back in 2009. "You have to know people, their names and what they look like to know people are missing," she said. >> i saw it on tv on february 2nd, when christina ross and her dog ruca was reported on the. In 2006 there were reportedly dirt trails leading from his trailer park to the site. easy. Starting tonight at 8 p.m., NBC will air a special two-hour "Dateline" episode dealing with the notorious West Mesa Murder Mystery. but for the most part the public didn't even know there was a list. >> whatever the killer's permanent address, those satellite photos were a huge break because they told police. >> reporter: the conclusion was inescapable. to start their search for a killer. [2] He was found guilty and sentenced to death in September 2016. and then she left it. After authorities unearthed the remains of 11 women and one unborn child, they feared the worst: They were dealing with the city's first serial killer. >> yes. could be others. >> reporter: mostly she just watched it grow. he opened up the door for all the wrong things. >> frightening. >> reporter: it was that kind of gut reaction that led detectives to joplin, missouri in august of 2010. so why am i still thinking about this? okay? Dateline Mystery is a series that is currently running and has 1 seasons (7 episodes). have a good weekend and have a good night from what is our nbc news head quarters here in new york. NEW MEXICO: It took police a year to identify the remains of 11 women killed in the West Mesa Murders, but they still haven't identified the killer. any signs that the women knew each other. The tragic truth was that sex workers made for easy targets, and are often distanced from relatives while communities are blind to their disappearance. of a young girl's dreams. A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. In 2005, she was handed two missing persons files including missing 25-year-old Michelle Valdez, who worked as a prostitute on the streets of New Mexicos largest city. Then, Ruca found a bone resembling a femur. >> reporter: detective todd babcock and sergeant lou heckroft drew the job of trying to track downtown killer. protection. One day later, Hemraj's partially decomposed body was found in the terrace of the same home. Wozniak led authorities to the area where almost all of Herr's dismembered body was found discarded at El Dorado Nature Center in Long Beach. that once she was lost and that now she's found. >> reporter: homicidal violence. The mysteries surrounding the West Mesa Murders, an unsolved case of 11 female bodies discovered in a desert graveyard near Albuquerque in 2009. >> i thought she was alive and well and doing good but just didn't want to have any contact with the family. Tonight's Dateline episode entitled Miami Heat will focus on the tragic events that led up to the fatal shooting of Orlando Mesa and 18-month old Noah 'Noa' Mesa, who survived the brutal attack. The serial murders of 11 women in the West Mesa area of Albuquerque will be featured in a two-hour edition of NBC's Dateline tonight. Submissions should outline a mystery and provide a link to a more detailed review of the case such as a Wiki article or news report. so you can move more. all they knew was that he'd killed at least 11 women and that the 2005 housing boom that brought suburban sprawl to the west mesa probably forced him to abandon this burial ground and find another one where there would be no neighbors around to watch him work. awesome. n.d then there was the service part, the helping people part of police work. Eleanor Griego, one of the victims' mothers, had previously mentioned while commenting on the case: APD Detective Mark Manary, who continued working on the disappearances after Ida's retirement, also deserves a special mention. not a lot to go on. do not use in breeding, pregnant or lactating dogs. i don't have a normal, you know, regular address. >> reporter: but as erratic as michelle had become in recent years, she'd somehow always managed to show up. but if one of them had during the 2003 or 2004 festivals, they might have actually seen evidence of a murderer moonlighting as a grave digger. >> reporter: finding a bone, even a human bone, is not unusual out here on albuquerque's west mesa. Wikimedia CommonsDowntown Albuquerque as seen from the West Mesa. They founded Safe Streets New Mexico in response to the threats sex workers face in the state and the lack of attention paid to violent crimes against them. nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for all-day, all-night protection. in a blanket, and was preparing to dump her in the trunk of his car when the woman's boyfriend showed up. -or maybe he didn't know. Anyone with information on the West Mesa murders is urged to contact (505)-768-2450 or @CrimeStoppersNM You can also contact Investigator Ida Lopez at ILopez@cabq.gov. memorial service organized by Street Safe New Mexico. There has been very little publicity. >> reporter: many who lost friends and relatives to the west mesa grave digger are convinced there could still be someone somewhere who knows something. The guy is a total dirt bag and the subject of a criminal case for drugging and raping a teenage girl while still walking the streets. what one little chew can do. All but one of the victims of the West Mesa murders were born and raised in New Mexico and were Hispanic. if the serial killer who preyed on their city is still alive, he's probably moved on to another hunting ground. but it was what had happened next that really focused the detectives' attention. love for your gut. The investigators were concentrating, apparently, on the females on the street. She was from Lawton, Oklahoma, and was reportedly last seen in Denver, police said. [4] Blea, in the Mid-School rape case, was sentenced to 36 years in June 2015, at 58 years of age. Thirteen years ago, the discovery of a femur bone on Albuquerque's west side would lead investigators to a mass grave site where 11 women were buried. >> a third one. "They did an excellent job with our West Mesa murders," said Sgt. >> i thought this could be it, yeah. >> and i can understand it. The special will include exclusive interviews with 28-year-old Chambers . Investigators have said that nearly all the West Mesa victims, who were between the ages of 15 and 32, worked as prostitutes . then four. a thigh bone had been found out on albuquerque's west mesa. You can also watch Dateline Mystery on demand at Apple TV. Gilbert Gallegos, an Albuquerque police spokesman, said detectives receive hundreds of tips in the case each year, and continue to follow different leads while retesting evidence as DNA and other investigative technology advances. and i'm happy and satisfied with that. According to the Albuquerque Journal, it all began when a woman out for a walk with her dog in a part of the city known as the West Mesa made a grisly discovery in February 2009. Dubbed the West Mesa Murders, they sparked a frenzy of investigations, interrogations, and media attention, but despite the best efforts of police to bring whoever was responsible to justice, the crimes remain unsolved to this day. and because her wisdom teeth had not fully developed, wendy knew this jane doe was probably only 14 or 15 years old when she, died. Google MapsWest Mesa Murders satellite photos show the undeveloped land where the victims were discovered. The names of the 11 victims of the West Mesa Murders are: Monica Candelaria, 22 - Her friends told police in 2003 that they heard Monica had been murdered and buried in West Mesa. i sat in many waiting rooms, and i said, i don't want to know what their sessions were about. >> and if he is, it may only be a matter of time. by then dan and michelle's mother were divorced, and dan was raising michelle and camilln alone while working days at the juvenile detention center. every chance that i had i had the videotape there. i couldn't handle it. so that was represented in the sketch. Wozniak lured Kibuishi to Herr's apartment, where he shot and killed her. There are also photos of possible missing women that are connected to the case. dr. scholl's. it's not the call girl. They also found electrical tape and rope in his car when he was arrested in 2003 for exposing himself to a woman. maybe i did something wrong. Women living a primal lifestyle are tribal. 'd, and it was her, and they found, you know, she was pregnant. with the investigation now focused on finding a serial killer, ida thought back to her late-night chats with the women of the war zone. not at all. According to satellite photos, the last victim was buried in 2005. Only one signficant discovery was made along the way, which is that they were all murdered. a name and face detective babcock knew quite well from an encounter in 1999, when babcock was working the vice unit in albuquerque. until late in the afternoon on february 2nd, 2009. >> and we will see justice. except for one tantalizing tidbit. any trucker initiatives or murderers that the fbi sent us we posted on the wall. According to the TV program, FBI profilers told Albuquerque police that the killer was a white or Hispanic male in his 30s. and in spite of their example, they can't quit the life. -you're not even enrolled in this class. >> the vice unit was watching a particular prostitute. [citation needed], In November 2012, Wozniak's then-fiance, Rachel Mae Buffett, was arrested[10] and charged with three felony counts of accessory-after-the-fact based on allegations that she had lied multiple times to police investigators. >> reporter: surgeons also removed ida's adrenal gland because it too had a mass on ite. American convicted of murder on death row, Dr. Phil: Was She an Accomplice to Murder? >> there's probably people that, were in albuquerque during the time frame we're looking at and now through investigative leads or other sources we find something that tells us a little bit more about their lifestyle as well, which would give us again that kind of immediate gut reaction, it's got to be. was it all hot air, or did someone with knowledge of the murders mix a kernel of truth into those rumors? Not the clients. >> when they told us that they had a young black girl, i thought, i didn't have a black girl on my list. and sure enough, they too were names on ida lopez's list of missing women. there could be very realistically a lot of bodies. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. [8][9], After repeatedly lying to police, Wozniak finally confessed. soon could be months. eventually, ida and the cold case detective were able to persuade the department to let them form an unofficial task force, where once a month they met with other agencies, including the fbi. aleve. use febreze every time you tidy up to keep your whole house smelling fresh air clean. >> reporter: although 15-year-old jamie barela was not a prostitute, she was last seen with one, her cousin evelyn salazar, whose remains were also found on the mesa. Many had gone into sex work or had run away from home years before they died. MESA, Ariz. - Thirteen days after the shooting death of a 24-year-old Mesa woman, the man suspected of killing her was arrested in Texas, said the Mesa Police Department in a news release on. everyone. let's send to everyone! only activia has billions of our live and active probiotics. ask your eczema specialist about dupixent. our girls we posted on the wall. Ross would soon discover that 11 dead bodies, now known as the West Mesa Murders, lay beneath. and the editor didn't say a whole lot. even thinking about the aerial photos evidence gives me chills to this day. They were between 15 and 32 years of age, most were Hispanic, and most were involved with drugs and sex work. it was my gateway to making contact with her and seeing her in person. She had also grown close to the families of the victims by that time. >> we really can't say why. her future seemed assured. in the grave of jane doe number 8 investigators found a tiny second set of bones. she gets out of her car and comes up to me. it was not the way that her mother and i raised her. Where do those women congregate. With Safe Streets New Mexico, Jaramillo and Barber aim to give women from this vulnerable sector the protection society fails to provide them. [ chuckles ] i'm done with this class. the boyfriend shot and killed lorenzo montoya on the spot. Years had passed from the time the women and girls disappeared, likely limiting available evidence. >> he may be waiting to start doing the same thing again. a money-making spectacle that draws tourists from all over the world to albuquerque for one week in october. >> investigators are looking for connections. had spots on her face. than tylenol extra strength. and where was he now? geico could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. so i gave her the money. He choked to death a prostitute at his home, then was shot by the . ida knew the odds of finding any of the missing women alive were not good. >> investigators are extremely tight-lipped at this point, but we do know that this is in connection to the west mesa murders in albuquerque, new mexico. -what teach here isn't telling you is that snapshot rewards safe drivers with discounts on car insurance. him. he's a photographer. at night dan drove through the war zone. In addition, a tree tag from a nursery was found in the area where the West Mesa victims' bodies were buried; it was tracked to a nursery Blea once frequented. Blea's wife and daughter claimed to have found jewelry and female underwear that didn't belong to them in their home, and police confirmed this after they searched his home eight months into the West Mesa investigation. squeeze me like you've never squeezed me before. >> can you tell me what that is? All went missing between 2003 and 2005. West Mesa Killer Satellite Image Credits. Darlene Trujillo, who was last seen July 5, 2001, and included Sonia Lente, who disappeared on Oct. 3, 2002. >> and sometimes they make a a mistake. daughter's comings and goings for years. Evelyn Salazar disappeared in the spring of 2004 with her 15-year-old cousin Jamie Barela after police said they went to a park together. as spring turned to summer that, year, dan, his ex-wife, and his daughters plastered flyers with michelle's picture all over central avenue asking anyone who'd seen her to call the albuquerque police department. An unsolved murder case has haunted the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico for more than a decade. bring in your own phone, switch to xfinity mobile and save hundreds of dollars a year. dan valdez, her father, had reported michelle missing six months before ida got the case.c he was the guy who kept the calendar. >> on the way back from arizona to here she promised, i'm not going to hang out with the same people, i'm going to do things different and you're going to be proud of me again, and then she bails two hours after she's home. >> well, just a few minutes ago albuquerque police left the dig site after they say they'd met all of the goals that they set. so she did what every good detective does. you know, maybe we ought to run that list. spots that weren't there before. by 2002 the wear and tear is written all over her face. Hosted by NBC News' Craig Melvin, each episode of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered incorporates the classic elements of drama and great . it took years. local station as finding a femur bone. stop dancing around the pain your home and auto that keeps you up again, and again. [9], The remains discovered in 2009 were identified as those of the following women and girls, all of whom disappeared between 2001 and 2005:[10][11]. >> reporter: one of those women, safira mora, was found alive and well a few weeks after this story first aired in december 2010. right now the killer, if he's still alive, has plenty of it. Sadly, the rumor was true. Like Blea, police also knew Lorenzo Montoya to be violent and hire sex workers in Albuquerque's East Central corridor. >> she was a college student found on a lonely road in texas. that way, again, so if i were doing a different process or if i was looking at something specific, i needed to know that i didn't have the eyes of america in that hole with me. Her skeletal remains were found at a construction site in the West Mesa area of Albuquerque in February, along with the bodies of many other victims. >> missing persons is kind of a backwater in a lot of departments. believe it! The serial murders of 11 women in the West Mesa area of Albuquerque will be featured in a two-hour edition of NBC's Dateline tonight. The investigation led the detective to discover at least 17 more similar cases of missing women, whom she referred to as "her girls.". Despite the jewelry, underwear, and other evidence that appeared to connect him to the case including the testimony of a former cellmate who said that Blea claimed to have known and hired the West Mesa victims and called them "trashy" police have still been unable to conclusively tie him to the murders. Detective Ida Lopez's dedication to finding these missing women is admirable. a. with xfinity mobile you can bring in your own phone, switch wireless carriers and save hundreds of dollars. >> you're asked to call 1-877- -- >> though the police tip line with hundreds of calls from a trail mix of nuts, kooks and the merely misguided -- >> detective babcock. >> reporter: -- no one who seemed to know something about the five-year missing persons cases was dialing the phone. and it was i thought perfect timing. For example, the case of serial killer Ted Bundy, who killed 36 women in Washington state in the 1970s, received loads of media attention, and Bundy's name is well-known. Last edited on 19 February 2023, at 14:32, List of fugitives from justice who disappeared, List of serial killers in the United States, "The West Mesa Murders: A Central American Connection? that's why we're staying with homicidal violence. but in the end ida was able to make everybody care. -it's kind of like driving with his dad. how do you keep feeling your best all summer long? so you get a lot of that. dupixent is not a steroid, and it continuously treats your eczema even when you can't see it. ready, set, go. i'm sorry, i think you mean roses. >> the company kind of left town and just kind of left the land the way it was. Promising leads became dead ends with every cleared suspect. On . and the newly organized families, which included everyone with a daughter on ida's list, began holding monthly vigils to keep public attention focused on finding all of the missing women. it led them to a dead end. Victims' families weren't involved in planning the event, but relatives who attend will be asked to speak if they wish, said Barber. it's been nine years since that summer night when ida lopez first took to the streets of albuquerque's war zone alone, searching for a couple of missing women. He had actually had over 100 encounters with police in the two decades preceding the discovery of the West Mesa murder victims. 11. it turned out all were women. >> i took it upon myself to tape them, tape every event. remember, 2004 is when almost all of the women found on the west mesa disappeared. >> she didn't want to be found. >> and whatever you tell us, it's no judgment at all. "he later navigated northward, leaving progressive can't protect you from becoming your parents. >> reporter: a time frame, 2003 to early 2005, and 11 sets of bones. By (61264) First Published: 1:46 PM PST, February 4, 2022 so far all the remains identified had been names on ida lopez's list of missing women. >> reporter: as you will soon see, timing, both perfect and not so perfect, will play a critical part in the story we're about to show you. definitely. i took her to a friend's house and dropped her off there. >> well, they were shocked. found her and she's not alive. >> reporter: jane doe's number 7 nose had been broken sometime before she died. >> yes, he was. >> no. The process repeated itself in more or less the same way about five years later. -oh, a plaque. She was convinced he was the West Mesa killer. The bodies were discovered a decade ago this weekend, kicking off an investigation into the largest crime scene in Albuquerque's history. let's exchange phone numbers. He choked her to death, and when the woman's boyfriend/pimp came looking for her, he shot and killed Montoya. >> how much of your time is this taking? Case 27: The West Mesa Bone Collector. >> reporter: that he once had a daughter named michelle who was the light of his life. ida went by the book. >> you know, i just didn't know. >> and the man in the car was? >> on the surface seems like a pretty good suspect. >> if you find one, you're going to find them all. A chilling lead came from satellite photos of the West Mesa Murders burial site. serial killer to catch but also because one set of remains was about to upset everything. >> in the whole wide world. for the detective who'd long maintained that everybody counts, the existence of that kind of reward was a sign of progress. and detective ida lopez, who'd had their names on her list of missing women. >> all the stars aligned. She took a picture and messaged her sister, a registered nurse who confirmed that it was. >> reporter: before long michelle valdez stopped showing up in her father's videos. The victims included two teenagers and a pregnant woman. >> lorenzo montoya. because deep within your skin an overly sensitive immune system could be the cause. However, two names have been widely. whenever a lost soul was found. The Disturbing Story Of The West Mesa Murders And The Serial Killer Who Remains Uncaught. now no fruit is forbidden. A life long resident of Albuq., NM. i mean, you'll see some out here that they need that fix. he's just an individual that came to our attention that we had to follow through. >> she came over to the house one day, and i'd given her a few dollars, and she stood up. >> a lot of people said they were drug addicts and prostitutes. the killer, whoever he was, and police naturally assumed the killer was male, had a five-year head start. >> reporter: it would take more than diligent detective work to find those answers. >> first words out of the girl's mouth was that he was trying to kill her. >> so you get lucky. Mesa and their son were shot outside their home, their son was only injured. While the killings were initially believed to be the work of a serial killer, the involvement of a sex trafficking ring has been suspected. too many people in pain settle for. 13 years later, Albuquerque Police have never officially or publicly named suspects in the case. >> reporter: michelle valdez. do you know -- -room 303. >> reporter: working alone, the detective distributed flyers with the women's pictures at truck stops, convenience stores, even the new mexico state fair. >> reporter: what you have in dan valdez's case is a search you do yourself. heart that day when she wasn't there. >> we approached the vehicle, opened the door. >> reporter: by mid april, after 2 1/2 months of intensive searching, mapping, and aerial photography, commander feist finally felt confident that his team had found all the bones there were to find and began shutting down the west mesa crime scene. >> you can't. They found rope and electrical tape during the search. it's a quote familiar to detectives everywhere. Ross wasnt sure the bone was human, but knew it could be. for all-day, all-night protection. to her ending up out here. it's fast itch relief. New Mexico State University", "Fair prostitutes help West Mesa murders", "The Untold Truth Of The West Mesa Murders", "APD Talks 10-Year Investigation Into West Mesa Murders", "The West Mesa Murders And The Bone Collector Behind Them", "Updated: Seven years later, one detective remains on West Mesa killings", "AMW Fugitives West Mesa Bone Collector Case", "Women's photos may link to mesa murders", "West Mesa Serial Killer--$100,000 Reward", "Lawton girl was only teen in mass grave", "Albuquerque police release photos in West Mesa murders investigation (warning: content may be disturbing for some people)", "Police identify 2 women from photos, both alive", "Dateline To Air Story on West Mesa Deaths", "West Mesa Bone Collector Albuquerque NM", "Police Pursue Possible Leads In West Mesa Cases", "Albuquerque police release photos in West Mesa murders investigation", "Joplin man says he has been cleared of suspicion in serial murders", "Colorado killer quizzed in mesa murders", "Does APD have a suspect in the West Mesa Murders? Photo Source This is an aerial photographs of the West Mesa Desert in 2004 when the first off road tracks were seen and you can spot two graves.
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