By the next day, he had still not returned, so his colleagues reported him as missing. though she's not on the street as much these days, she is still busy working missing persons cases. help heal your skin from within. >> how many other detectives ins missing persons? n.d then there was the service part, the helping people part of police work. with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis, you feel like you're itching all the time. >> that's a possibility. but because doctors caught the cancer early, ida required neither chemo nor radiation therapy. she was at -- you know, at a hurting spot. michelle's little girl angelica was now the center of attention. She released her statement through Young Women United, a nonprofit where she helps with programs geared toward assisting women in need. who got an awful skin condition. All of the women were Latina and all were from New Mexico, except Syllannia Edwards, who was African American and from Oklahoma. His cellmate said Blea admitted to knowing many of the murdered women and had even hit one of them for allegedly trying to steal his money. >> fbi's behavioral sciences agents came in, took a look at our crime scene, took a look at what evidence we had. They also found electrical tape and rope in his car when he was arrested in 2003 for exposing himself to a woman. >> so lorenzo was arrested for charges beyond just patronizing a prostitute. dr. scholl's. >> we're looking for people who've had histories of showing, violence against prostitutes. >> first words out of the girl's mouth was that he was trying to kill her. They may have been OD's? >> it's like being in a race and somebody has a year ahead start. The former fiance of a California theater actor who murdered an Afghanistan War veteran and his friend in 2010 was convicted Wednesday of lying to police in an attempt to protect him from. they pick up a lot of girls. we have to look into it. >> this in a way suggests that maybe there are women out there who aren't on any list. According to the Albuquerque Police Department, something didn't sit right with Christine Ross when her dog Ruca found a bone on their walk in the West Mesa. The investigators were concentrating, apparently, on the females on the street. in a sense michelle never was a teenager. >> we figured she had been sexually assaulted and dumped here. Daniel Wozniak, the California theater actor accused of beheading his neighbor, Army vet Sam Herr, and his friend Juri "Julie" Kibuish, in Costa Mesa six years ago, is the focus of Dateline NBC tonight. what had i been doing? - 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! >> we approached the vehicle, opened the door. i noticed when she started seeing one of her boyfriends, you know. 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. if that same individual was here in albuquerque, the media wouldn't even have known about. >> so at one point at least you're sort of looking at truckers. >> yeah. However, two names have been widely. so i took a picture of the bone. Ultimately, a lack of evidence failed to pin the murders on Blea, who is serving a 90-year sentence for sexual assault cases from the 1980s and 1990. >> reporter: that felony assault charge against lorenzo montoya went nowhere because the victim later refused to testify. and that's when angelica looked at me and started crying. It's no secret. you know, maybe we ought to run that list. Article continues below advertisement ask your veterinarian about apoquel today. Lopezs alma mater) who has written several books on serial killings, said: You cant have a colder cold case, Gibson said. >> 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. >> she was last seen in denver. 14th birthday michelle valdez gave birth to a baby girl she named angelica. Apparently he had made numerous comments about abducting prostitutes from the New Mexico state fair and taking them to his mother's property on the outskirts of ABQ. Crime. everyone? that's why we're staying with homicidal violence. 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. [26][27] Blea had women's underwear and jewellery not belonging to his wife or daughter in his home and allegedly told a cellmate that he had hired the West Mesa victims, who he called "trashy". 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. 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. One of the suspects, Joseph Blea, was arrested on Albuquerques Central Avenue for exposing himself to a woman. dan valdez, her father, had reported michelle missing six months before ida got the case.c he was the guy who kept the calendar. Joseph Blea (left) and Lorenzo Montoya (right). it was not the way that her mother and i raised her. >> reporter: both of those. West Mesa Serial Killer--$100,000 Reward Criminal Investigations Division On Feb. 2, 2009, Christine Ross and her dog Ruca left their home on Albuquerque's west side to go for a walk. it's unlikely that any of the balloonists who float out over the west mesa area spend much time studying the details of the sandy desert floor below. [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. i mean, that's not exactly, you know, the premier detective job. West Mesa Killer Satellite Image Credits. how do you keep feeling your best all summer long? lengthy delays in reporting missing people as missing. dan knew about some of the arrests.d most he didn't. 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. "Dateline" aired a two-hour show on the murders a gruesome case where the remains of 11 women and an unborn fetus were found buried in the desert near New Mexico's largest city in December. shadows prostitutes. 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. The upcoming episode, titled Somebody's Daughter, will air on Oxygen on Tuesday, July 12, at 8:00 PM ET. 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. >> in the whole wide world. jane doe number 8 had been four months pregnant at the time of her death. >> reporter: soon there were five missing women with eerily similar profiles on ida's list. >> i went to some drug rehab places who were not willing to help me. [2] He was found guilty and sentenced to death in September 2016. Investigating a 10-year-old crime where the police think that the victim had it coming theres just no incentive for that.. Prosecutors said Carballo killed him out of revenge for the murder of her husband, Orlando Mesa. >> yeah, i think there's no doubt that you're dealing with one guy. well, if they were, so be it. [9] Some of the women appear to be unconscious, and many share the same physical characteristics as the original 11 victims. bill's back needed a afvacation from his vacation. Thoughts? "You can't have a colder cold case," Gibson said. Police were at a loss. >> possibly the killer? so in ida's absence the valdez family was at the mercy of the police department's bureaucracy. 55 is a suggestion. >> lorenzo montoya. even thinking about the aerial photos evidence gives me chills to this day. believe it! All but one of the victims of the West Mesa murders were born and raised in New Mexico and were Hispanic. but that's not what she told the families when they called in, looking to hear something encouraging. and the women who work its. She was found buried next to her 27-year-old cousin, Evelyn Salazar. what one little chew can do. >> 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. Annette Gutirrez-Millspaugh shared with us that nobody had ever solved the 1982 murder of Father Reynaldo Rivera. >> were all the victims killed the same way? activia. it recommends our best custom fit orthotic to relieve foot, knee, or lower back pain. They found rope and electrical tape during the search. >> right. i sat in many waiting rooms, and i said, i don't want to know what their sessions were about. 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. he killed her, wrapped her body. she said, michelle. long. nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for all-day, all-night protection. >> when they told us that they had a young black girl, i thought, i didn't have a young black girl on my list. detectives thought they knew about that killer. The West Mesa murders have yet to be solved. after years of having only her rap sheet and her father's bittersweet memories to go on, ida lopez was now sure she knew where michelle valdez was. According to the El Paso Times, the presence of Syllannia Edwards among the victims has led authorities to believe that sex trafficking gangs could have been involved. Skip to main content Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. >> no. The West Mesa Murders City of Albuquerque The 11 victims whose remains were discovered at the West Mesa site in 2009. >> it is a lot of shovel and pick work. [4] Blea, in the Mid-School rape case, was sentenced to 36 years in June 2015, at 58 years of age. her nose and her eyes were very important. 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. out in the war zone there's a new crop of ragged women on the streets, willing to sell themselves in return for a puff of smoke from a glass pipe. every life is a mystery. >> that really sends a chill up and down your spine. To this day only theories remained. >> i came out here looking for my cousin, and i bumped into cinnamon, and she had told me that -- that the girls were getting their heads cut off and tooken to the mesa. proven better on pain. That threat and the circumstances of his death led police to suspect that Montoya had been the West Mesa Bone Collector. i mean he's a wreck without me. She alerted the police, and Ray was arrested. Syllania Edwards, also 15, was the only one not from New Mexico. 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. Dateline covered the murders. every time he saw her he marked the date down. >> he was going to let her stay with us. a.p. most common side effects are vomiting and diarrhea. 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. >> the only body that has been identified so far, victoria chavez. detective ida lopez, who would later make it her mission to find michelle and the other missing women, was on medical leave at the time. [12] Michelle Valdez was four months pregnant at the time of her death.[13]. >> i thought ida being a police officer was awfully small. >> and that's still a lot of people. >> not for you. so i would tell her, you know, mean things. or whatever, see somebody that may appear to be the size of michelle, a small person, and go around the block two or three times and me wondering who they were as well as them wondering who i was. >> you're finding this, and you're just going, i wonder if it's going to be the rest of the girls. activia. >> reporter: the conclusion was inescapable. Darlene Trujillo, who was last seen July 5, 2001, and included Sonia Lente, who disappeared on Oct. 3, 2002. pe reporter: the michelle valdez that appears in these home videos with her little sisters is a far cry from the thin, drug-wasted young woman police would later come to know and fingerprint. Like Blea, police also knew Lorenzo Montoya to be violent and hire sex workers in Albuquerque's East Central corridor. He choked to death a prostitute at his home, then was shot by the . by 2002 the wear and tear is written all over her face. >> no.n' not at all. Case 27: The West Mesa Bone Collector. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. >> she didn't want to be found. the odds were good that syllania edwards, like the others, had simply strolled out into the war zone and climbed into the wrong car. >> where was i the night before? a restless night's sleep. News and Information, Talk and Interview NEW S31 E19 | 02/26/23 The Window WATCH LATEST EPISODE. i've been -- you know, i've been raped a number of times. >> we're not the only family that got a call saying that their, you know, sister, daughter was murdered and buried out there. a. with xfinity mobile you can bring in your own phone, switch wireless carriers and save hundreds of dollars. 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. and detective ida lopez, who'd had their names on her list of missing women. | Dr. Phil", "Dr. Phil | Actress Accused: Was She an Accessory to Murder? >> but while police try to prove it, another attack. you know, it's stuff you read about. >> suggesting possibly that the killer met her in denver, brought her here? >> do you think we're dealing with one guy here? >> on the surface seems like a pretty good suspect. 'd, and it was her, and they found, you know, she was pregnant. she started keeping a list of missing women who match that profile.wh that was the easy part. who got an awful skin condition. But most of the other victims vanished with even fewer details. 2015. [ chuckles ] i'm done with this class. She was convinced he was the West Mesa killer. In a 2013 interview, Ray Schultz said there was a "conscious shift" in the Albuquerque Police Department to take prostitutes more seriously. to this day faded photos of women on her list hang on her wall, alongside a line of scripture that reads, "nothing is hidden, except to be revealed." t and so that gave me an empathy for them on that part, and i thought, wow, this has got to be powerful. i'm guessing you noticed before anybody else. and i get to call the dad and say, we found her. but her presence in the west mesa bone yard raised a troubling prospect. >> reporter: it would become a close working relationship based on frequent phone calls and mutual admiration. i don't remember the last words we spoke. Another expresses hope that authorities will find the killer. Flickr/Ken LundOne of the suspects, Joseph Blea, was arrested on Albuquerques Central Avenue for exposing himself to a woman. and i'm in the porch area. >> yes. According to the Albuquerque Journal, Blea was no stranger to the parts of the city where sex work is known to take place. >> reporter: dan knew about the drugs and twice got her to agree to enter rehab.ug but michelle never showed up.nt increasingly there were run-ins with the law. Although Montoya fit the description, the West Mesa serial killer remains unidentified. young hispanic women with arrest records for drugs or prostitution. >> hi. aleve pm. There are so many episodes online but I can't find this one, http://www.nbcnews.com/watch/dateline/somebodys-daughter-part-1-254001731808. Why was the vehicle that took the bodies, as it did not appear the victims were murdered, killed, or executed on site, to the Burial Grounds never noticed? [4] In December 2006, Montoya strangled a teenage sex worker to death at his trailer and then was shot to death by the teen's boyfriend. i am comfortable with the fact that we gave her a proper burial as a human being should be buried. >> mommy's not a grownup anymore -- i mean, a teenager anymore. >> sit. web pages definitely. but she kept coming up empty. 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. A chilling lead came from satellite photos of the West Mesa Murders burial site. With Safe Streets New Mexico, Jaramillo and Barber aim to give women from this vulnerable sector the protection society fails to provide them. aleve. and then as the months go by, wi search more and find that there are, you know, maybe another one here, then another one there, and that sort of thing. by now dan was emerging as the videographer and de facto spokesman for the families. (danny) every day you're nearly fried to a crisp, professionally! Women living a primal lifestyle are tribal. and was he still at work? Decades later, the case still remains unsolved. >> these are hurting women. >> reporter: what you have in dan valdez's case is a search you do yourself. >> reporter: the total body count stayed at 11 sets of adult remains and one fetus. but what can you do?te you can't be with them 24/7. for all-day, all-night protection. Reported missing between 2001 and 2005, they ranged in age from 15 to 32. high school, college. it recommends our best custom fit orthotic to relieve foot, knee, or lower back pain. However, the Albuquerque Police Department refuses to lose all hope and continues working on it with whatever leads they have. Confirmed to be the work of a serial killer that was active between 2001-2005. In February 2009, her body was identified. with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis, you feel like you're itching all the time. glad i could help. 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. i miss you, hon. can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn? 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. oh right. 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. 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. One bears a stick-figure angel and a message from a woman who says the victims watch over her. Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. and for them. >> i was the only detective in there at the time. One of the victims, 22-year-old Michelle Valdez, had been pregnant when she was killed, and the bones of her unborn child were also found among the victims. >> and sometimes they make the i wrong turn or a mistake.ke >> reporter: shortly after her . now that two women from ida's list had been identified, jolene had an idea. nexgard. 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. >> she searched for the innocent. Where do they crash? but can't get your hands on anything else. you know, i was always the tag-along with her and her friends. there were still seven missing women who fit the profile on ida lopez's list. right. Ross wasn't sure the bone was human, but knew it could be. the hardest part of this whole thing is having to go to somebody's house and say we. and we know a few that have a, history of murdering the girls who frequent the truck stops. >> they wouldn't even put her picture on the news or nothing. >> reporter: dan immediately called detective ida lopez with the tip. >> it's taking all my time. "They didn't deserve what they got. Many had gone into sex work or had run away from home years before they died. Since 2009, families of some victims have stressed publicly that the women and girls were loved. when they looked at old pictures of the mesa. >> then in february 2009 came unsettling news. Almost no media coverage and the killer was never caught. too many people in pain settle for. 'd as one of the west mesa women victims -- one of the west mesa women." all i want to know is a timeline. To this day, the case remains unsolved. >> reporter: and it's not just there for inspiration. >> i looked up to her for many things. >> reporter: and so in july 2005, after a few months of recuperation as a reserve officer, the department offered ida a 20-hour-a-week desk job working missing persons. so far all the remains identified had been names on ida lopez's list of missing women. According to Dateline NBC's website, the episode entitled "Plot Twist," will include new details in the high profile murder case. memorial service organized by Street Safe New Mexico. >> reporter: desiree gonzalez says she used to hang out on these streets and says she knew several of the missing women and had also heard those same rumors. This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17 U.S. Code). >> kind of weird to be able to, you know, call a family and say great news -- >> oh, yeah. (danny) after a long day of hard work you have to do more work? [7], Soon after, Wozniak was apprehended by US Marshals while at his bachelor party two days before his wedding. By (61264) First Published: 1:46 PM PST, February 4, 2022 [9][22] They confiscated "tens of thousands" of photos from the man, who reportedly used to visit the state fair in Albuquerque. According to Albuquerque's KQRE, Montoya hired a sex worker in December 2006 and took her to his home located less than two miles away from the site where the West Mesa victims were buried. >> reporter: for detectives like todd babcock it all seemed to add up. it was all just unverifiable street talk, the kind ida lopez had heard before. >> police have set up a tip line. Casefile True Crime. >> reporter: for medical investigator wendy honeyfield the bones of jane doe number 7 and her pink-tipped acrylic nails were a beguiling puzzle. until late in the afternoon on february 2nd, 2009. serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, a severe reaction. also, again, it goes back to the lifestyle. >> because this guy had complete, freedom or he thought nobody's going to come out here? 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. -yeah. 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?