commander feist knew every scrap of evidence recovered from that gigantic crime scene would have to be cataloged and stored until it came time to prosecute the west mesa grave digger. but knew it was reality. and where was he now? >> that's a possibility. >> i just always felt that if you find one you're going to find them all. >> so you were being a father all over again. tired of seeing him hurt. Who do they party with? >> reporter: and so she learned, about the lives of the women on the street. >> who was she? for the detective who'd long maintained that everybody counts, the existence of that kind of reward was a sign of progress. ready, set, go. >> no.n' not at all. >> the xs indicating no -- no knowledge of her, disappeared, nothing.ledi no word. i never wanna hear you say no, kevin no, kevin! then four. Valdez disappeared from Albuquerque, New Mexico on September 22, 2004. 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. Genres After more than five years of court proceedings, Wozniak went to trial and was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder. but the detectives knew simply finding the bones in the first place had been an incredibly lucky break. 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. >> reporter: they strolled out of her new subdivision, one of many that had recently sprouted up in the desert west of albuquerque, and then over to an abandon construction site, where christine let ruca off the leash to run. Her organization recently gathered the notes from the women it meets with weekly. the position was there. Barela was last seen at a family gathering, which she and Salazar left for a park on San Mateo and Gibson Boulevard, near the airport. i said no. >> reporter: dan continued to cruise the war zone, willing himself to believe that his daughter was still out there. >> she ran up ahead of me, and she was messing with something on the ground. ", "Controversial Show Starring Accused Los Alamitos Killer to Air", "NBC Dateline | FULL EPISODE: Plot Twist", "Daniel Wozniak, Rachel Buffett: 'Dateline' NBC Follows Plot Twists Of Actor In Bizarre Costa Mesa, California Murder Case", "Dateline: Secrets Uncovered season 7 episode 10 ("Plot Twist")", "20/20: 'Mystery in Apartment 410' Watch Full Episode", "Daniel Wozniak case: Full story of California double murder investigated on '20/20", "Community actor kills veteran, student for money to bankroll honeymoon", "The Perfect Murder | Watch Full Episodes & More! and we got a list of names. i couldn't handle it. >> you look at how many things had to have happened for these victims to be located. >> a college campus gripped by fear. The 11th, meanwhile, was 15-year-old Jamie Barela. who got an awful skin condition. a data plan for everyone. >> reporter: the total body count stayed at 11 sets of adult remains and one fetus. didn't look like the normal animal bone you find out here. Despite the tip, however, the West Mesa Murder case remains unsolved. >> sometimes ida lopez simply can't wait for sunday. >> reporter: they call it tough love. >> you can't say gun, knife, strangulation. our daughters. but we don't know if it's him or not. before discovering nexium 24hr to treat her frequent heartburn, marie could only imagine enjoying freshly squeezed orange juice. so it's a matter of time before they go back out. About Dateline: Secrets Uncovered. within days evidence of one body, had become evidence of two. >> i know 100% that my daughter is not alive. it's the city's annual balloon fiesta. memorial service organized by Street Safe New Mexico. There is a reward of up. i didn't choose their lifestyle. so in ida's absence the valdez family was at the mercy of the police department's bureaucracy. and i kind of was wobbling a little bit, and ida consoled me a little bit and said it's okay, you know, it's okay. Lopezs alma mater) who has written several books on serial killings, said: You cant have a colder cold case, Gibson said. >> in death as in life? i wasn't done. [15][16] On December 13, 2010, police reported that two of the women in the photos had been identified as alive, and could have valuable information if they can be located. Police suspect that the bodies were all buried by the same person or persons, and may be the work of a serial killer, who has since come to be referred to as the West Mesa Bone Collector. 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. bones started to get names. 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. >> hi. >> when they told us that they had a young black girl, i thought, i didn't have a young black girl on my list. babcock says he saw marks on the woman's throat and that she told him montoya looked like he was enjoying it. who was responsible for turning the west mesa into an unmarked cemetery? a thigh bone had been found out on albuquerque's west mesa. "You can't have a colder cold case," Gibson said. love for your gut. 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? sad but common, especially for these dark streets where drug addiction and prostitution literally go hand in hand. The upcoming episode, titled Somebody's Daughter, will air on Oxygen on Tuesday, July 12, at 8:00 PM ET. Call the 118th Street Task Force at 1-877-765-8273 or (505) 768-2450. by 2Paragraphs in Culture, True Crime Murder TV | July 27, 2019, The Dateline episode Somebodys Daughter shines the light on Albuquerque Detective Ida Lopez. Thoughts? apoquel may increase the chance of developing serious infections and may cause existing parasitic skin infestations or pre-existing cancers to worsen. "Dateline NBC" is the longest-running series in NBC primetime history and is in its 31st season. West Mesa Serial Killer Photos. some passed on grisly rumors to ida, that the missing women were dead and had been dumped in the desert west of town. but in 2004 while pregnant with her second child doctors discovered a mass in ida's right kidney. >> reporter: investigators had plenty of leads but none that had gotten them closer to answering two questions -- who was he? women very often involved in prostitution, it's not uncommon for them to go missing for weeks or months at a time. so come ask, shop, discover at your xfinity store today. >> that's correct. activia. >> no. She took a picture and messaged her sister, a registered nurse who confirmed that it was. The same evening, Wozniak went on to perform in his local theatre production of the musical Nine. that's why we're staying with homicidal violence. >> there used to be a motel here. >> reporter: in addition to victoria chavez and michelle valdez, the others from ida's list were cinnamon elks, julie nieto, veronica romero, monica candelaria, and doreen marquez. >> and we will see justice. in late january 2010, nearly a year after the first bones were discovered on albuquerque's west mesa, the last set of remains was matched to another name on ida's list. >> reporter: caught between the pressure to keep the public informed and the need to prevent key details from leaking out to cranks and copycats who routinely clogged tip lines, commander feist found himself scheduling sensitive excavation, work in the off hours, when he knew cameras would not be looking over his shoulder. i've been -- you know, i've been raped a number of times. i don't have a normal, you know, regular address. In 1999, a sex worker named Cynthia Vigil Jaramillo was kidnapped and imprisoned in a city south of Albuquerque by a man named David Parker Ray, aka the "Toy-Box Killer." >> reporter: a few days later lab work confirmed ida's hunch. By Marlene Lenthang, MaryEllen Resendez, Jennifer Pirone, and Amanda Karrh May 21, 2021, 9:22 AM 6:56 Single mom Paige Birgfield goes missing in a small Colorado town: Part 1 >> reporter: then came the teen years.me when life started coming at michelle valdez fast and furious. In 2009, the bodies of 11 women were found in multiple shallow graves on the West Mesa of Albuquerque but the cases remain unsolved. actually, it was my grandfather raised me.ctdehiizedis s co enowas ait wde.lo he was about in his 80s. >> reporter: surgeons also removed ida's adrenal gland because it too had a mass on ite. for all-day, all-night protection. a camera might figure it out. >> reporter: the target of the search warrant was a local joplin, missouri photographer who had allegedly been in albuquerque to take pictures during the city's 2004 balloon fiesta. this bone belonged to someone who had died in the not too distant past. >> i thought ida being a police officer was awfully small. see a vehicle pick this girl up. start with supporting your gut health. It's awful what happened to them," Myra Salazar, the mother of 27-year-old victim Evelyn Salazar, said in a statement. Where to Watch Dateline Mystery Dateline Mystery is available for streaming on the NBC News website, both individual episodes and full seasons. ida's return to work would have to be gradual, if it was going to happen at all.s >> for a lot of people that would be the end of police work. These are the eleven victims identified in as being found in the dumping ground in the West Mesa. Dateline Full Episodes. (danny) every day you're nearly fried to a crisp, professionally! everyone? yeah. do not use if you are allergic to dupixent. i got scared. Although Montoya fit the description, the West Mesa serial killer remains unidentified. can you make it look like i'm holding it? 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. She was convinced he was the West Mesa killer. She was from Lawton, Oklahoma, and was reportedly last seen in Denver, police said. >> reporter: many who lost friends and relatives to the west mesa grave digger are convinced there could still be someone somewhere who knows something. click, call, or visit a store today. so you can move more. >> reporter: no. >> and whatever you tell us, it's no judgment at all. But by 2009, when the bones were discovered, development had erased any hope of automobile evidence. 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. A&E reported how the group burial had all the hallmarks of a serial killer's actions.According to the Associated Press, February 2, 2022, marked the 13th . and do you use that profile and rule somebody out just because they're not on that profile? [1] Police have also suspected the involvement of a sex trafficking ring operating through neighboring Texas that targets sex workers during events throughout the Southwest, Southern, and Western United States, especially regularly scheduled events, such as the New Mexico state fair in this case, to take advantage of reliably heavier traffic. [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. >> when you see those satellite photos and you see the scarring on the desert floor, knowing what we know now, it's very obvious that those look like graves. >> tough questions for her boyfriend. In this case, there was almost nothing but bones.. 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. Confirmed to be the work of a serial killer that was active between 2001-2005. so he's going to have close contact with these people. However, the West Mesa murders might have changed that in Albuquerque. but once -- once, you know, we had that bond, me and angelica,e it was nice. All rights reserved, Privacy Policy|Online Content Agreement, Seven years later, one detective remains on West Mesa killings, Albuquerque police release photos in West Mesa murders investigation. >> we're looking for people who've had histories of showing, violence against prostitutes. (vo) you earned it, we're here to make sure you get it. >> i didn't even -- i didn't even want to be around it anymore. thank you. 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. for police that seemed like a good place to start their search for the killer. >> i told michelle she couldn't come over. Dirk Gibson, a communications and journalism professor at the University of New Mexico (Det. >> you think she came here on her own? "It appears that some of the women may be unconscious, again we . so you get a lot of that. . >> reporter: at times detective ida lopez was out there too. and she said no, dad. >> don't know. Please enter valid email address to continue. >> so lorenzo was arrested for charges beyond just patronizing a prostitute. [20], Lorenzo Montoya lived less than three miles from the burial site. a. with xfinity mobile you can bring in your own phone, switch wireless carriers and save hundreds of dollars. 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. Not the clients. Where do they crash? and all with the same name. probably had some brush with law enforcement. YouTube/KOATA makeshift memorial for the victims. >> reporter: suddenly families who'd once felt isolated in their agony now felt a communal bond. >> no, you can't. served. some of it didn't. In one incident years before the West Mesa murders, police searched his car after a woman said he had exposed himself to her. [7], Soon after, Wozniak was apprehended by US Marshals while at his bachelor party two days before his wedding. Or, died from other indirect causes, including assault, abuse, or homicide, prior to being funeralized; preped for burial? sometimes in the middle of her work week the albuquerque detective feels a pressing need, for spiritual solace and divine guidance. because deep within your skin an overly sensitive immune system could be the cause. and a few hold hazy satellite images of tire tracks on the desert sand. ", "Accused serial rapist, West Mesa murder suspect sentenced to 36 years in rape case", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Mesa_murders&oldid=1140315217, This page was last edited on 19 February 2023, at 14:32. mind. use febreze every time you tidy up to keep your whole house smelling fresh air clean. can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn? >> reporter: working alone, the detective distributed flyers with the women's pictures at truck stops, convenience stores, even the new mexico state fair. and at the center of it all was dan valdez. shocking talk on the streets. >> you're finding this, and you're just going, i wonder if it's going to be the rest of the girls. dateline west mesa murders. She was found buried next to her 27-year-old cousin, Evelyn Salazar. eight. In this video we take a look at an infamous killer in Albuquerque, New Mexico, known as the West Mesa Bone Collector. ask your eczema specialist about dupixent. >> we went back starting in 2002, and we got the records from our local jail. some of them chummed around with one another. it was a time when a sinister force seemed to be snatching women off the streets of new mexico's largest city. >> yes. >> yes, he was. >> you know, i just didn't know. >> reporter: and for albuquerque's homicide detectives there was the most pressing question of all. A sinister force seems to be snatching women off the streets of Albuquerque. Jun 09, 2022. dateline west mesa murders >> i went to some drug rehab places who were not willing to help me. >> so you told michelle she couldn't come over? when he was active here and, most importantly, when he quit. >> not for you. Albuquerque murder mystery: Who is the West Mesa killer? that. >> and i had to tell dan. where did she come from? >> 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. >> i would tell them every single day we're one day closer to finding your daughter. [9] In 2010, a reward of up to $100,000 was being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible.[11]. Police did promise the families of the victims that justice would be done. if you are taking asthma medicines, do not change or stop your asthma medicine without talking to your doctor. Ruca found a large bone protruding from the earthen trail. After Herr told him that he had savings of about $62,000 from combat pay, Wozniak decided to kill him in order to acquire Victims' families weren't involved in planning the event, but relatives who attend will be asked to speak if they wish, said Barber. -yeah. in a blanket, and was preparing to dump her in the trunk of his car when the woman's boyfriend showed up. The only emerging pattern was that 10 of the victims were sex workers or victims of sex trafficking. 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 money. >> and what information do you have? -keith used to be great to road-trip with. so you feel refreshed. >> 35 to 50? >> kind of weird to be able to, you know, call a family and say great news -- >> oh, yeah. but you know, you have to have faith in your law enforcement. They gathered information from grieving families and locals, which helped clear up when the victims were last seen but not how they died. local station as finding a femur bone. [3][4][5][6] This small fragment of a human trafficking ring involves numerous population centers, including Las Vegas in Nevada, El Paso and Killeen in Texas, and Denver in Colorado.[2]. 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. don't lie to me." >> she was on my list. 13 years later, Albuquerque Police have never officially or publicly named suspects in the case. tw >> reporter: the toll of michelle's addiction on her t younger sister camille is also evident in dan's videos.il as camille becomes a teenager, she no longer seems to want to acknowledge michelle or even have her around. Wozniak came under suspicion after he instructed a sixteen-year-old, Wesley Freilich, to withdraw money from Herr's accounts. She also told them that he threatened "to kill me and bury me in lime.". cinnamon elks, missing since august of 2004. but even if those rumors were true and human remains were cooling in the desert night on albuquerque's west mesa, the detective knew, it would take a miracle to find them. >> i'm still right down the middle of the fairway on this, right? >> it's more than just a few. cinnamon was a name on ida's list. and detective ida lopez, who'd had their names on her list of missing women. Paleontologists In China Just Discovered A Prehistoric Egg Fossil From A Nearly Human-Sized Turtle With A Baby Inside, How A 200 Pound Order Of Meat And A Nosy Upstate Cop Nearly Vanquished The American Mob, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. A life long resident of Albuq., NM. and i thought, well, i need to make further plans. a meticulous man whose grim will had brought him back to the mesa again and again to bury his victims. [2] He was found guilty and sentenced to death in September 2016. but ever since her early days in uniformed patrol, ida lopez has called them her girls. -uh, yes. at xfinity, we're here to make life simple. let's exchange phone numbers. aleve. [4] At the time of the murders, Wozniak was deeply in debt and unemployed but planning a lavish wedding and honeymoon. those two files would mark the beginning of the biggest case in her career and would turn into pabarmis.markintos most heinouy crime stories. Combing the undeveloped West Mesa near 118th Street SW, detectives spent weeks uncovering all 11 graves. >> reporter: so detectives started checking with police departments and jails throughout the southwest on the hunch that syllania, as young as she was, might have been entangled in a. prostitution circuit that shuttles women from city to city. >> this is michelle. >> 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. >> correct. >> reporter: nine months after the discovery of the first bone on the west mesa the detectives were back to square one. -good luck, everybody. and most of these boxes were returned. dupixent is not a steroid, and it continuously treats your eczema even when you can't see it. >> reporter: it was in denver, another city on the circuit, that detective todd babcock hit paydirt. and this desert doesn't give up its secrets easily. >> i thought she was alive and well and doing good but just didn't want to have any contact with the family. Darlene Trujillo, who was last seen July 5, 2001, and included Sonia Lente, who disappeared on Oct. 3, 2002. pi fr no, i can't believe how easy it was to save hundreds of dollars on my car insurance with geico. The West Mesa Murders City of Albuquerque The 11 victims whose remains were discovered at the West Mesa site in 2009. possibly two prior times. you know, it's stuff you read about. Ive been looking for a cast on yhis case. 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. >> we were always bumping heads. At first, it was like any other Monday night, but Feb. 2, 2009, would stick with Christine Ross forever. if that same individual was here in albuquerque, the media wouldn't even have known about. woof because nothing should come between you and your furry friend especially not allergic itch! A chilling lead came from satellite photos of the West Mesa Murders burial site. yes, i pray that they're okay. Dirk Gibson has no faith that will change, because police lack the necessary incentive. With a similar history as Blea, Lorenzo Montoya was known to pick up prostitutes and assault them. and in spite of their example, they can't quit the life. >> she was on your list. but what can you do?te you can't be with them 24/7. >> so we were able to, communicate with each other anything that came up. The 11 victims whose remains were discovered at the West Mesa site in 2009. mostly progressive's name your price tool. The case reportedly began in 2005 when Lopez was handed files of a few missing women, one of whom was a 25-year-old prostitute named Michelle Valdez from New Mexico's largest city, Alberquerque. >> it's a lot of people. All Rights Reserved. -[ scoffs ] if you say so. When her boyfriend arrived, he shot and killed Montoya. In one case, there was a DNA sample but the rape test kit was not re-tested until 2010, eventually linking Blea to the rape. now, more than five years after the discovery of bones on the west mesa, albuquerque police are certain of only one thing. do you need anything? "They did an excellent job with our West Mesa murders," said Sgt. 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. Being a registered nurse, she was able to tell Christine that the bone looked like a human femur, so Christine contacted the police. though she's not on the street as much these days, she is still busy working missing persons cases. >> it gathered a lot of attention because we had to utilize the fbi. it's a mystery their families th still struggle to understand. if you are taking asthma medicines, do not change or stop your asthma medicine without talking to your doctor. [1][2], An anonymous tip to authorities at APD and FBI linked the murders to a suspect from Central America. Theres a sense of physical remoteness this place was very removed, said University of New Mexico professor Dirk Gibson, who has written two books on serial killers. >> the hardest part of this whole thing is having to go to somebody's house and say we found her and she's not alive. >> did you see her then? After two trials, killer of Colorado mom of three with secret life appeals conviction Lester Jones was found guilty of kidnapping and murder in December 2016. then five. >> we had gotten a call from a family friend of ours that i grew up with, and you know, i pick up the phone and she's like, oh, my gosh, i'm sorry about your sister. >> the reality is it was kind of like this is not happening. >> a suspect caught in the act. >> i started looking into the missing and exploited children's website and was able to search through as many african-american females that matched the possible stature, where they might have been when they went missing. i think because for the first time we had started to put faces on these women and we had explained to the citizens of albuquerque that there weren't just two women that were missing. In February 2009, her body was identified. >> in the whole wide world. i mean, that's not exactly, you know, the premier detective job. it's not the call girl. Jamie Barela, 15 - Jamie was not involved with drugs or sex work like the other ten victims. >> reporter: homicidal violence. >> he may be waiting to start doing the same thing again. He has interviewed 200 hundred local women with similar backgrounds and created timelines for every suspect. it took years. and it was here while posing as a decoy during prostitution sting operations that she learned the raw power of their addictions. career. all of them about the same age,m with a similar look.he all were known to hang out in a section of albuquerque so o notorious that cops call it the war zone. Article continues below advertisement but you know what? but she was unable to find the aunt or to pin down the source of the rumor. Be the first one to comment on this story. but one name stood out. dan tried to keep a watchful eye on his girls and even took them to work with him at the juvenile detention center to show them on where careless mistakes can lead. the killer, whoever he was, and police naturally assumed the killer was male, had a five-year head start. and then three. she said, michelle. >> reporter: six weeks after the digging began out on the west mesa, even more sets of remains were identified. Dateline covered the murders. they deal with all kinds. so i keep them, do my full boheh background on them. TV Archive but the police who arrived at the scene shortly after nightfall soon determined that this was no ancient artifact. The last segment of last night's two-hour exploration of the West Mesa serial murders on NBC's Dateline reviewed the search warrants executed by the Albuquerque and Joplin police departments and the FBI of properties owned by Joplin businessman Ron Erwin. and if they weren't on the mesa, where were they? >> i was the only detective in there at the time. >> she searched for the innocent. Ross walked her dog, Ruca, along along a dried-out wash in Albuquerque, New Mexico. >> the majority of our girls were street-level prostitutes. >> did you notice when the girls were going missing? she said, well, dad, i'm going to run. The 58-year-old Joplin businessman and photographer informed the Globe last week that he has been cleared of. all the bones. Police say a woman walking her dog reported finding what appeared to be a femur on the mesa.