but we can protect your home and auto when you bundle with us. >> there are other girls from out of state in the same -- you know, are we going to find another repeat? Albuquerque detective Ida Lopez took it upon herself to uncover the story behind the remains of 11 women and an unborn fetus, which were discovered over 13 years ago, buried in shallow graves in a West Mesa desert. >> reporter: and for albuquerque's homicide detectives there was the most pressing question of all. Be the first one to comment on this story. it was not the way that her mother and i raised her. In addition to Barela, Edwards, Salazar, and Valdez, they are: Monica Candelaria, 22; Victoria Chaves, 26; Virginia Cloven, 24; Cinnamon Elks, 32; Doreen Marquez, 24; Julie Nieto, 24; Veronica Romero, 28. >> don't know. except their families. Police did promise the families of the victims that justice would be done. >> investigators are looking for connections. In this case, there was almost nothing but bones.. >> it had to be brutally difficult to think of michelle living that kind of life. Her daughter had found womens clothing and jewelry in their home, with some families later revealing that the victims jewelry was missing. and this desert doesn't give up its secrets easily. awesome. make febreze part of your clean routine for whole home freshness. davy. bark i wanted to consolidate my credit cards in to a personal loan to pay them off faster. >> a third one. but by 2004 camille, the tag-along little sister, had had enough.on when michelle asked dan if she could move back home for a while, camille put her foot down. michelle had already been busted for receiving and transported stolen property, drug possession and car theft. it was tough. 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. but other than that it seemed that, you know, that she was on the up and up and that she was doing -- doing what she could, in her power, and the time that she had to go out and -- out to the streets. >> the company kind of left town and just kind of left the land the way it was. maybe it was camille saying no or whatever. By the next day, he had still not returned, so his colleagues reported him as missing. the first words out of this girl's mouth was that he was trying to kill her. >> it is a lot of shovel and pick work. each x marking another day without word from his oldest daughter, michelle. >> it's more than just a few. >> reporter: the conclusion was inescapable. and i said, you know, what are you talking about? [ chuckles ] i'm done with this class. that changed when michelle failed to show up for angelica's seventh birthday party. you don't have a school schedule or work schedule, that sort of thing. h b u te then a third one comes in. some passed on grisly rumors to ida, that the missing women were dead and had been dumped in the desert west of town. thank you. An episode of NBC "Dateline" airing Friday will feature the West Mesa murder case. >> i thought ida being a police officer was awfully small. every morning the sunrises over the sandia mountains east of albuquerque and begins baking one of the most celebrated stretches of asphalt in the united states -- historic route 66, the highway famous for carrying dust bowl refugees and beat generation oddballs west to california. Google MapsWest Mesa Murders satellite photos show the undeveloped land where the victims were discovered. >> i have to keep believing that we'll find an answer soon. and you never know how your skin will look. December 2006. >> i know 100% that my daughter is not alive. you know, i was always the tag-along with her and her friends. i said all right. Police budgets are stretched thin. a money-making spectacle that draws tourists from all over the world to albuquerque for one week in october. i know in my heart i didn't do the right thing, but i knew that the common sense of my brain said that i had to. >> reporter: oddly enough, the west mesa investigators' good fortune began thousands of miles to the east, in the fall of 2008. that's when crumbling financial markets on wall street caused home construction on the west mesa to grind to a halt. They may have been OD's? >> sit. and for them. >> reporter: six weeks after the digging began out on the west mesa, even more sets of remains were identified. he has pics of you on his phone. apoquel. [9] Some of the women appear to be unconscious, and many share the same physical characteristics as the original 11 victims. not all those questions have been answered as of yet. anybody that was arrested for prostitution, criminal solicitation, anything like. Her organization recently gathered the notes from the women it meets with weekly. it's pretty much the easiest way to save since sliced bread. Albuquerque murder mystery: Who is the West Mesa killer? >> no. He had actually had over 100 encounters with police in the two decades preceding the discovery of the West Mesa murder victims. so she did what every good detective does. >> and that's more than just a few guys. >> reporter: a few days later lab work confirmed ida's hunch. but guess what? >> how many other detectives ins missing persons? within weeks of starting her new job, ida was handed two missing persons files. Trish Hoffman, spokeswoman for the Albuquerque Police Department. It was the most disturbing murder case Albuquerque police had ever seen and it remains unsolved to this day. Albuquerque police released photos of unidentified women who may also be linked to the West Mesa murders. so help heal your skin from within, with dupixent. It plans to tie them to fencing near the crime scene Saturday ahead of a gathering to mark the anniversary. aleve pm. it's one of those timing issues we told you about earlier. it took years. >> i thought maybe she'd turn up a few days later, a few weeks, or we'd -- you know, she'd call us. Beginning in February 2009, authorities began unearthing human remains in a remote patch of the West. michelle's -- michelle and cinnamon were stabbed and buried on the west mesa. at 16 weeks, nearly four times more patients taking dupixent saw clear or almost clear skin compared to those not taking it, and patients saw a significant reduction in itch. bill's back needed a afvacation from his vacation. everyone? She released her statement through Young Women United, a nonprofit where she helps with programs geared toward assisting women in need. maybe i did something wrong. >> what'd the police tell you? Theories? All but one had fallen into prostitution and struggled with drug abuse, according to police. >> you think she came here on her own? helps people find coverage options based on their budget. she hunted the guilty. >> the biggest thing that makes syllania different is she's not a local girl. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. -yeah. >> it's taking all my time. By (61264) First Published: 1:46 PM PST, February 4, 2022 definitely. stop dancing around the pain your home and auto that keeps you up again, and again. get $100 back when you bring in an eligible phone. The case has had special interest to the Joplin area since Albuquerque police, FBI, and Joplin police conducted searches on properties owned by Joplin businessman Ron Erwin in August. Years had passed from the time the women and girls disappeared, likely limiting available evidence. Euphoria Star Sydney Sweeneys White Hot Bikini Is Out of Control, Sydney Sweeney, Algee Smith, Euphoria, image: courtesy of HBO, 2012-2023, 2paragraphs Productions, LLC. Are there any other episodes or podcasts you'd recommend that discuss this further? Neither woman was. to states as far away as pennsylvania and florida, where the backgrounds and travel patterns of certain types of men seem to warrant close attention. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) The notes are written on paper tags, tributes to the nine women, two teenage girls and unborn child found buried 10 years ago atop a New Mexico mesa. >> this is michelle. >> reporter: what you have in dan valdez's case is a search you do yourself. see a vehicle pick this girl up. and all had worked as prostitutes on the mean streets of the city's war zone. >> it's kind of eerie looking at those satellite photos. 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. >> yes. and by the summer of 2009 the fbi and the city of albuquerque were offering $100,000 to anyone who could help them catch and convict the man responsible for killing the west mesa women. All went missing between 2003 and 2005. ask your veterinarian about apoquel today. Then, Ruca found a bone resembling a femur. >> when you ask them how many bad dates have you had? that was easy! The case has been covered by numerous crime and news programs in the United States, including: On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. >> reporter: over the years ida's career blossomed. so that was represented in the sketch. 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. That discovery of a single bone led to a months-long dig, as police used DNA and dental records to identify the women and girls. To this day only theories remained. / CBS Colorado. All of the women, except 15-year-old Jamie Barela, had one thing in common: They were all involved in drugs and sex work. i enjoyed it. gave her 20 bucks. whenever a lost soul was found. For current Fan Club membership options and policies, please . It would appear the killings stopped after his death. by 2002 the wear and tear is written all over her face. the next time anyone heard anything about syllania, she was here in this makeshift grave site outside albuquerque, sharing it with ten other women she never knew in life but will be forever linked with in death. Furthermore, Police encountered Blea nearly 140 times between 1990 and 2009, often in drug-heavy areas that the victims were known to frequent. >> she was on my list. >> i don't believe so. according to the website, she'd been a 13-year-old runaway from a group home in lawton, oklahoma in 2003. and that's what we're trying to figure out. all the remains. >> reporter: but some do. it was a bit of frontier justice for montoya, who was about to literally get away with murder. >> tough questions for her boyfriend. >> reporter: it was that kind of gut reaction that led detectives to joplin, missouri in august of 2010. a.p. The authors, advocates say, are women who spend their days in the district with a history of drugs and sex trafficking that many of the victims were known to frequent. a thigh bone had been found out on albuquerque's west mesa. In 2005, Ida Lopez, an Albuquerque police detective, also noticed sex workers vanishing. by 2Paragraphs in Culture, True Crime Murder TV | July 27, 2019, The Dateline episode Somebodys Daughter shines the light on Albuquerque Detective Ida Lopez. the mother road's glory days are behind her now. After Herr told him that he had savings of about $62,000 from combat pay, Wozniak decided to kill him in order to acquire According to Dateline, because of what they did and how they lived their stories might not have been told.. but the mesa, a vast expanse of desert west of town where people frequently dump things they no longer have any use for, was simply too big an area to launch, a search based on just a rumor. >> the response was amazing. [17] In June 2018, more bones were found near the site of the burials, but these were later determined to be ancient and not related to the West Mesa murders. but you know, you have to have faith in your law enforcement. >> that's a possibility. but that's not the -- that's not what he saw in his eyes, or his heart. 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. t and so that gave me an empathy for them on that part, and i thought, wow, this has got to be powerful. for the moments that mattered most to her daughter, angelica. >> sometimes ida lopez simply can't wait for sunday. >> correct. it turns out that even though that evidence was long gone by the time those bones were discovered in 2009 a bird's eye view was precisely the perspective investigators needed. [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]. Paige Birgfeld, 34, was a well-liked . The West Mesa Murders are the killings of eleven women whose remains were found buried in 2009 in the desert on the West Mesa of Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States.Several suspects have been named, but none were arrested or charged. [ camera clicking ] wifi up there? but once -- once, you know, we had that bond, me and angelica,e it was nice. >> i saw it on tv on february 2nd, when christina ross and her dog ruca was reported on the. [25] In 2015, Blea was also suspected by police of killing a sex worker; his DNA sample was located on the inner waistband and belt of a sex worker found dead on Central Ave, a notorious street for sex work in the eastern part of the city. There is a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible. There are also photos of possible missing women that are connected to the case. An unsolved murder case has haunted the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico for more than a decade. Although the murders stopped after that, police have unfortunately not been able to say without a doubt that Montoya was the serial killer known as the West Mesa Bone Collector. She compiled a list of the missing not all of whom have been found, raising concern there might be more victims. memories fade, and witnesses disappear, and some just don't, want to be part of it anymore. Her husband, Orlando Mesa, and 18-month-old son were shot just moments after the pair were captured on haunting surveillance camera enjoying the spring evening. >> he was able to define out her ears. They gathered information from grieving families and locals, which helped clear up when the victims were last seen but not how they died. (NBC) "Dateline NBC" will air a two-hour special Friday on the latest in the investigation into the murders of the University of Idaho students Ethan . but she kept coming up empty. The mysteries surrounding the West Mesa Murders, an unsolved case of 11 female bodies discovered in a desert graveyard near Albuquerque in 2009. Police say Wozniak killed combat vet Samuel Eliezer . >> 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. but within a few months of receiving those remains the lab-coated sleuths at the office of the medical investigator began unraveling the riddle of jane doe number 7. -i know. >> reporter: dan immediately called detective ida lopez with the tip. [11], On September 12, 2018, Buffett was convicted on two of those counts with a maximum possible sentence of 44 months and, on November 8, 2018, was sentenced to 32 months minus time served and good behavior. apoquel is for the control of itch associated with allergic dermatitis and the control of atopic dermatitis in dogs. s i just learned the absolute e dependence on the drug for the girls because there's no way in your right mind you're going to get into a car and do what this person just told you to do. those two files would mark the beginning of the biggest case in her career and would turn into pabarmis.markintos most heinouy crime stories. use febreze every time you tidy up to keep your whole house smelling fresh air clean. >> the reality, it was kind of, like this is not happening. spots that weren't there before. Thats why the West Mesa killer was able to do it, she said Christine Barber, the head of Safe Streets New Mexico, a non-profit that helps get women off the streets. >> suggesting possibly that the killer met her in denver, brought her here? I think there's a Disappeared episode relating to it as well. >> and we will see justice. Lopezs investigation found that close to two dozen women with similar profiles were missing. After neighbors complained of flooding at the platted site (due to the burial of the natural arroyo), the developer built a retaining wall to channel storm water to a retention pond built in the approximate area of the burial site, inadvertently exposing bones to the surface. >> reporter: they call it tough love. All they ever found, however, were the bones and DNA of 11 people. >> yeah. >> yes. They also found electrical tape and rope in his car when he was arrested in 2003 for exposing himself to a woman. if you are taking asthma medicines, do not change or stop your asthma medicine without talking to your doctor. but her presence in the west mesa bone yard raised a troubling prospect. activia. Reporter Josh Mankiewicz reports from Albuquerque on the story that made national headlinesthe discovery of 11 female bodies buried on the city's West Mesa. Tonight's Dateline http://datl.in/fSpdzC, Anyone with information on the West Mesa murders is urged to contact (505)-768-2450 or. Dateline Mystery is a series that is currently running and has 1 seasons (7 episodes). but for ida lopez the discovery and identification of seven women from her list meant that years of careful detective work were finally paying off. While the killings were initially believed to be the work of a serial killer, the involvement of a sex trafficking ring has been suspected. well, if they were, so be it. she gets out of her car and comes up to me. >> reporter: homicidal violence. Detectives were left with the fact that serial killers move with ease, often vanishing long before their victims are ever found. >> it was in september of 2004. >> 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. >> yes. >> reporter: this killer had seemingly left nothing behind but a pile of dry bones. >> 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. Most of them hadnt even been reported missing at the time their remains were found. and that's when angelica looked at me and started crying. It's no secret. Dateline is anchored by Lester Holt and features correspondents Andrea Canning, Josh Mankiewicz,. [12] Michelle Valdez was four months pregnant at the time of her death.[13]. >> reporter: some of the women had been missing for so long that ida started comparing notes with a detective in the department's cold case unit. now that two women from ida's list had been identified, jolene had an idea. For our first episode of 2018, we outline the still-unsolved murders of the West Mesa Serial Killer *FYI: We've marked this episode as explicit because there are a couple of f-bombs. it's not the call girl. they had literally spent weeks in the trenches looking for bones at that abandoned construction site. but you know what? >> on the surface seems like a pretty good suspect. A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. he wouldn't say what the plans were because the only, you know, close person i knew had cancer and died. 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. and then three. we weren't as close.enec because of the drugs. ready, set, go. >> no. before discovering nexium 24hr to treat her frequent heartburn, marie could only imagine enjoying freshly squeezed orange juice. maybe it was me not letting her come back to the house. and i thought, well, i'll write it and we'll see what happens. For homicide investigators, the case posed challenges from the start, said Dirk Gibson, a communications and journalism professor at the University of New Mexico who has authored numerous books on serial killings. >> reporter: commander feist, who tried to keep the local press at arm's length during the excavation, finally allowed them to cross under the yellow tape and onto crime scene, along with crews from "america's most wanted." proven better on pain. If you have any information about the West Mesa murders, or about other missing women related to this case, Albuquerque Police have a dedicated hotline. -[ scoffs ] if you say so. >> we really can't say why. Daniel Wozniak (murderer) 1 language Talk Read Edit View history Daniel Patrick Wozniak (born March 23, 1984) is a former American community theatre actor who was convicted of two counts of murder in September 2016. >> like?wr >> the drugs. and was he still at work? 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. >> these are hurting women. that the chin was specific for me. aleve pm. so i took a picture of the bone. i have no idea how she got here. >> we all had a common denominator. >> i needed to know where they were all the time. >> right. you know, it's stuff you read about. In 2005, she was handed two missing persons files including missing 25-year-old Michelle Valdez,. Or, died from other indirect causes, including assault, abuse, or homicide, prior to being funeralized; preped for burial? searching for clues in a crime scene big enough to be seen from space. s >> father all over again. The cases remain unsolved with no arrests. [9] The following day the police released an additional photograph of another woman; this woman was subsequently identified by family members, who reported that she had died of natural causes several years earlier. 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. >> the reality is it was kind of like this is not happening. im i remember that. Many persons of interest have been eliminated by means of that timeline, he said. -yeah, she's my ride. sometimes because she avoided z the camera. [23], In December 2010, convicted Colorado serial killer Scott Lee Kimball stated that he was being investigated for the West Mesa murders, but he denied killing the women.[24]. they were there constantly. of a young girl's dreams. so, let's make this the summer of loving your gut. yeah. He choked to death a prostitute at his home, then was shot by the . It took nearly a year for medical examiners to identify the decomposing victims, most of whom were Hispanic and all of whom were female. . Dateline NBC also promises to reveal new details about the death of Stephen Smith, whose 2015 death investigation was reopened two weeks after the murders of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh.Smith's . The Disturbing Story Of The West Mesa Murders And The Serial Killer Who Remains Uncaught. a data plan for everyone. the drugs. Plot Twist: With Lester Holt, Josh Mankiewicz, Julie Kibuishi, Sam Herr. but she was unable to find the aunt or to pin down the source of the rumor. there could be others. Valdez was pregnant at the time of her death and her . every time he saw her he marked the date down. >> reporter: that he once had a daughter named michelle who was the light of his life. According to New Mexico State University, the FBI has investigated long-haul truck drivers as suspects in murders of sex workers along major highways, and authorities have reason to believe that Edwards was one such victim. we approached the vehicle, open the door, the first words out of this girl's mouth, who's a known prostitute, was that he was trying to kill her. The Untold Truth Of The West Mesa Murders. The published list also included the names of eight of the 11 West Mesa murder victims . i miss you, hon. >> were all the victims killed the same way? >> he's got me by the throat and he's shaking me and yelling at me telling me not to say a word. that they're actually doing okay. 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. Blea has been dubbed the "Mid-School Rapist" for his activities in the 1980s; police say he would often break into the homes of 13- to 15-year-old girls who lived near McKinley Middle School in Albuquerque and rape them. >> reporter: the detectives needed a solid tip. >> probably because he felt safe out here. activia. now no fruit is forbidden. >> even though you knew -- >> even though i knew that it could be going for drugs. the news media had shown little interest in the story when desperate family members had come to them asking for help. clustered within 20 yards of each other. most common side effects are vomiting and diarrhea. >> that's correct. >> and sometimes they make the i wrong turn or a mistake.ke >> reporter: shortly after her . >> you look at how many things had to have happened for these victims to be located. and one of the locations that was searched was right next door to a newspaper. Due to the 2008 housing bubble collapse, development on the West Side halted before housing could be built at the burial site. Dateline: Unforgettable airs every Tuesday on Oxygen at 8:00 PM ET. Globe staff photographer Ron Erwin would like to shed the suspected serial killer tag. Produced, reported and maintained by Journal staff member. within days evidence of one body, had become evidence of two. do you know -- -room 303. The police are asking for the public's help to identify the women. >> and sometimes they make a a mistake. >> for a long time the news would be full of stories about girls who were missing and everybody's looking for them. KTVB's Morgan Romero is joined by Keith Morrison on Channel 7 ahead of Friday's two-hour Dateline special on the Idaho student murders at 8 p.m. MT. With Safe Streets New Mexico, Jaramillo and Barber aim to give women from this vulnerable sector the protection society fails to provide them. Another expresses hope that authorities will find the killer. The Albuquerque officers did not say that Erwin was a suspect. and now on the cusp of young adulthood michelle looked gaunt. Barela is the only victim who police say wasn't known to have been subjected to sex trafficking. shocking talk on the streets. he opened up the door for all the wrong things. They found rope and electrical tape during the search. This blog features observations from Randy Turner, a former teacher, newspaper reporter and editor. She said the organization also will highlight the continued struggles of women living on the margins. and what we hope to happen is that someone that's had an encounter with this killer will. and if they weren't on the mesa, where were they? Skip to main content Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. Dateline: Secrets Uncovered Snapped Murdered by Morning An Unexpected Killer Snapped: Killer Couples Final Moments Living with a Serial Killer Buried in the Backyard Killer Relationship with. >> reporter: but as erratic as michelle had become in recent years, she'd somehow always managed to show up. the hard part was that many of them had already been missing for more than a year before ida even had a chance to start looking. but ever since her early days in uniformed patrol, ida lopez has called them her girls. and i guess i just kind of wonder whether police and everybody else would have start of stepped up their game a little bit if that had been the case here.
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