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. then four. Police have offered a $100,000 reward for anyone offering evidence leading to the discovery of the person the media came to call the West Mesa Bone Collector. 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. 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. Perhaps precisely because of this, the FBIs $100,000 reward for information has gone uncollected for over a decade. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. All but one had fallen into prostitution and struggled with drug abuse, according to police. >> no. i've been -- you know, i've been raped a number of times. 14th birthday michelle valdez gave birth to a baby girl she named angelica. and now on the cusp of young adulthood michelle looked gaunt. it took years. Jun 09, 2022. dateline west mesa murders At first, it was like any other Monday night, but Feb. 2, 2009, would stick with Christine Ross forever. >> reporter: those were long nights, filled with bittersweet memories of michelle the way she used to be, before the drugs took over. >> and under a desert sky the lost waited to be found. Being a registered nurse, she was able to tell Christine that the bone looked like a human femur, so Christine contacted the police. i mean, you'll see some out here that they need that fix. >> that really sends a chill up and down your spine. i mean, that's not exactly, you know, the premier detective job. when a stolen car rap in arizona landed michelle in jail, dan says he bailed her out and pleaded with her to change her ways. Furthermore, Police encountered Blea nearly 140 times between 1990 and 2009, often in drug-heavy areas that the victims were known to frequent. all the bones. yet. babcock says he saw marks on the woman's throat and that she told him montoya looked like he was enjoying it. Photos, information and videos from Dateline here. until late in the afternoon on february 2nd, 2009. born to move. 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. -keith used to be great to road-trip with. some passed on grisly rumors to ida, that the missing women were dead and had been dumped in the desert west of town. can you make it look like i'm holding it? >> reporter: and for albuquerque's homicide detectives there was the most pressing question of all. and one of the locations that was searched was right next door to a newspaper.
The Turner Report: Dateline traces West Mesa serial killings - Blogger Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. >> but it might not have been a nice thing? was a serial killer stalking the women working the war zone? [6], An extensive manhunt for Herr was launched by authorities who at that point still believed Herr was responsible for Kibuishi's murder and was on the run. >> it was breaking angelica's. >> reporter: the detectives needed a solid tip. Many of the victims' families reported them missing years earlier. 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. 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. Trish Hoffman, spokeswoman for the Albuquerque Police Department. Although Montoya fit the description, the West Mesa serial killer remains unidentified. [9][22] They confiscated "tens of thousands" of photos from the man, who reportedly used to visit the state fair in Albuquerque. 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. In a 2013 interview, Ray Schultz said there was a "conscious shift" in the Albuquerque Police Department to take prostitutes more seriously. dan valdez, her father, had reported michelle missing six months before ida got the case.c he was the guy who kept the calendar. except for one tantalizing tidbit.
University of Idaho murders on 'Dateline' 2-hour special >> the majority of our girls were street-level prostitutes. michelle had already been busted for receiving and transported stolen property, drug possession and car theft. she's been arrested. use febreze every time you tidy up to keep your whole house smelling fresh air clean. >> she was on my list. Sorry! The victims included two teenagers and a pregnant woman. daughter's comings and goings for years.
Dateline: Albuquerque Prostitute Killings "You Can't - 2paragraphs they were there constantly. [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. and the editor didn't say a whole lot. >> there could be somebody up there right now. >> i was devastated. There has been little pressure on the police to investigate.. so, let's make this the summer of loving your gut.
Janepsy Carballo, Woman Serving Life Sentence in Revenge Killing >> if you find one, you're going to find them all. >> no, you can't. Theres so little money, and there are so many crimes. for police that seemed like a good place to start their search for the killer. so you can move more. 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. >> reporter: it was intended to be a low-key search of the man's home and offices. Details of Disappearance. so they'll move from albuquerque to phoenix to las vegas to los angeles and maybe not return on that circuit for several years. let's send to everyone! 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. >> all of the victims buried out on the west mesa were buried naked, with no clothing on. Police also saw him stalking sex workers after the West Mesa murders. how do you keep feeling your best all summer long? >> you're finding this, and you're just going, i wonder if it's going to be the rest of the girls. According to Tixier, the department made the decision to bring Lopez back due to her extensive involvement in the case as well as her connection with the families of the victims. Lopezs alma mater) who has written several books on serial killings, said: You cant have a colder cold case, Gibson said. Syllania Edwards, also 15, was the only one not from New Mexico. >> and that's more than just a few guys. so help heal your skin from within, with dupixent. we came upon it, and it appeared to be a bone. >> reporter: ida lopez began this case with the mantra that everybody counts. by 2Paragraphs in Culture, True Crime Murder TV | July 27, 2019, The Dateline episode Somebodys Daughter shines the light on Albuquerque Detective Ida Lopez. Another expresses hope that authorities will find the killer. >> reporter: for the detectives who were trying to catch a serial killer those remains represented a wild card with staggering implications. i'm sorry, i think you mean roses. That threat and the circumstances of his death led police to suspect that Montoya had been the West Mesa Bone Collector. 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. Flickr/Ken LundOne of the suspects, Joseph Blea, was arrested on Albuquerques Central Avenue for exposing himself to a woman. West Mesa murder victims Evelyn Salazar, left, and Cinnamon Elks. >> kind of weird to be able to, you know, call a family and say great news -- >> oh, yeah. the first words out of this girl's mouth was that he was trying to kill her. >> reporter: at times detective ida lopez was out there too. 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. 2015.
How a California Community Theater Actor Tried to Frame a War Veteran 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. >> so this guy takes photographs of the part of town that you're sort of looking at. Article continues below advertisement clustered within 20 yards of each other. >> it had to be brutally difficult to think of michelle living that kind of life. The 58-year-old Joplin businessman and photographer informed the Globe last week that he has been cleared of. hopefully they've been in a commune in some mountainous town or in a rehab center or a jail or with friends that they're actually doing okay. There has been very little publicity. he's just an individual that came to our attention that we had to follow through. Ross wasnt sure the bone was human, but knew it could be. him. within days evidence of one body, had become evidence of two. 11. it turned out all were women. 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. could be others. 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. >> it was real hard because you know, i'd be circling the block. >> no. >> there's nothing to connect lorenzo montoya to those 11 bodies? that's why we're staying with homicidal violence. so i took a picture of the bone. had spots on her face. Wozniak then staged the crime scene to make it appear as though Kibuishi had been sexually assaulted, suggesting that Herr had committed her assault and subsequent murder and then gone on the run. but knew it was reality. eight. it was not the way that her mother and i raised her. >> i did. and the guy goes toward him, and he's tackled by police. do not use if you are allergic to dupixent. "he later navigated northward, leaving progressive can't protect you from becoming your parents. he killed her, wrapped her body. On May 21, 2010, Wozniak shot and killed his neighbor, Private First Class Samuel "Sam" Herr, a 26-year-old Afghanistan War veteran, at a Los Alamitos theater. - Investigation Discovery", "Sam Herr, Juri 'Julie' Kibuishi: 'The Perfect Murder' On Investigation Discovery Afghanistan War Vet, California Tutor Killed By Actor In Plot To Have Lavish Wedding", "48 Hours-Killer Performance - Video Dailymotion", "Unusual Suspects: Deadly Intent | Watch Full Episodes & More! >> february 2nd is when one of our violent crimes detectives said oh, they found a bone on the mesa, i'll let you know. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. 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. He was sentenced to death in September 2016 before California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a moratorium on capital punishment in the state. >> reporter: the total body count stayed at 11 sets of adult remains and one fetus. so, let's make this the summer of loving your gut.