Combing the undeveloped West Mesa near 118th Street SW, detectives spent weeks uncovering all 11 graves. let's exchange phone numbers. they were there constantly. Ida Lopez, a missing persons detective from the Alberquerque Police Department, became increasingly attached to the unsolved homicide of 11 women and an unborn fetus, whose remains were discovered in one of the city's deserts back in 2009. An episode of NBC "Dateline" airing Friday will feature the West Mesa murder case. 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. missing persons, you know, was busy. okay? their lifestyle has been with drugs. born to move. she gets out of her car and comes up to me. >> the reality is it was kind of like this is not happening. i'm supposed to be in ceramics. but i get to say this is where she's at. and she's alive. In a 2013 interview, Ray Schultz said there was a "conscious shift" in the Albuquerque Police Department to take prostitutes more seriously. ( Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. >> and whatever you tell us, it's no judgment at all. >> you're up half a mile to 3/4 of a mile from any populated area back in the time frame. >> reporter: they call it tough love. they were able to get me a booking photograph of what syllania looked like around the time that she died, we believe. >> reporter: the total body count stayed at 11 sets of adult remains and one fetus. >> they would say we found a skull that had a lot of hair and she's pregnant. | Dr. Phil", "Dr. Phil | Actress Accused: Was She an Accessory to Murder? then six. >> maybe there are women out there who aren't on any list. ask your eczema specialist about dupixent. In this Dateline classic, a relaxing vacation turns into a nightmare when Stephen Reitz wakes up to find his girlfriend, Eva Weinfurtner, murdered. Or contact APD at 1-877-765-8273 or (505) 768-2450. read more from the moment the west mesa murder case landed in their laps, detectives knew they would be chasing a phantom and grasping at smoke. Where do those women congregate. ), First published on February 2, 2019 / 12:05 PM. >> reporter: and within weeks ida's early work of collecting dental records of the missing women and dna samples from their families began to pay off. but the police who arrived at the scene shortly after nightfall soon determined that this was no ancient artifact. i think he's been preying on his victims, has a particular victim in mind. >> reporter: a time frame, 2003 to early 2005, and 11 sets of bones. for ida lopez there was the fear that her nightmare prediction was coming true. im i remember that. >> reporter: cops call this section of central avenue the war zone. what had i been doing? help heal your skin from within. i said, "detective lopez just told us that your mother has been positively i.d. -, Press J to jump to the feed. bones started to get names. starts help healwith -hi!mplewithin. 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. >> i find a girl with the same background. >> reporter: whether in costume for a school play, dressed up for her first communion, or showing a budding interest in boys. >> what we see very often is the women involved in prostitution work in what's called the circuit. maybe we ought to, you know, be a little more proactive. long. daughter's comings and goings for years. >> did you know who cinnamon was? she hunted the guilty. 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. but in the end ida was able to make everybody care. grasping at smoke. but once -- once, you know, we had that bond, me and angelica,e it was nice. >> correct. >> was the man whose house you served a search warrant on, is he a suspect? ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. . and every time the phone rang his heart stopped. that day it fell to 15-year-old camille to fill in for michelle and act as mom. who got an awful skin condition. >> do you think we're dealing with one guy here? now no fruit is forbidden. but knew it was reality. the drugs. but since he bought his house are you going 45? >> at one point syllania had been arrested up in the denver area for prostitution, going by a different name at the time. 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. sometimes because she avoided z the camera. >> you can't say gun, knife, strangulation. >> it's like being in a race and somebody has a year ahead start. The published list also included the names of eight of the 11 West Mesa murder victims . probably had some brush with law enforcement. some of it seemed to take. 12-year-old daughter, angelica. him. we have to look into it. it was a bit of frontier justice for montoya, who was about to literally get away with murder. you don't have a school schedule or work schedule, that sort of thing. They found rope and electrical tape during the search. i wouldn't say he's a suspect. Trish Hoffman, spokeswoman for the Albuquerque Police Department. and i carried this little flyer in my pocket and in my car, you know, for the last, you know, four years. >> he's got me by the throat and he's shaking me and yelling at me telling me not to say a word. They gathered information from grieving families and locals, which helped clear up when the victims were last seen but not how they died. With a similar history as Blea, Lorenzo Montoya was known to pick up prostitutes and assault them. >> reporter: and as it turns out, jolene gutierrez krueger, a columnist for the "albuquerque journal," had gotten a copy of that list a few years earlier, when she worked the police beat. >> it's a cold case. Lopezs investigation found that close to two dozen women with similar profiles were missing. so she did what every good detective does. 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. Although Montoya fit the description, the West Mesa serial killer remains unidentified. Edwards was classified as an endangered runaway from Lawton, Oklahoma in 2003 and was last seen with three sex workers in Aurora, Colorado in May 2004. an amusement park so he stepped on the dr. scholl's kiosk. 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. >> you look at how many things had to have happened for these victims to be located. shadows prostitutes. Article continues below advertisement [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. serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, a severe reaction. In 2006 there were reportedly dirt trails leading from his trailer park to the site. don't wait. >> what'd the police tell you? Confirmed to be the work of a serial killer that was active between 2001-2005. dupixent is not a steroid, and it continuously treats your eczema even when you can't see it. "It's really a sad and horrible anniversary," said Christine Barber, executive director of Street Safe New Mexico, a nonprofit that seeks to boost safety for women who live and work on Albuquerque streets. and you never know how your skin will look. >> reporter: dan continued to cruise the war zone, willing himself to believe that his daughter was still out there. 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. The most notorious mass murder in Ohio's history happened on the night of April 21, 2016 in rural Pike County. after three years angelica was sent to live with dan's mother, who lived nearby, and michelle took to living with a series of people she called friends. Where to Watch Dateline Mystery Dateline Mystery is available for streaming on the NBC News website, both individual episodes and full seasons. -i'm sorry? >> i love you, michelle. [5], In an effort to misdirect police and cast blame upon Herr, Wozniak then used Herr's cell phone to text Juri "Julie" Kibuishi, a 23-year-old college student who had been tutoring Herr at Orange Coast College. Many persons of interest have been eliminated by means of that timeline, he said. >> so we were able to, communicate with each other anything that came up. sunrise would bring news of his daughter michelle. In this case, there was almost nothing but bones.. According to the Albuquerque Journal, Blea was no stranger to the parts of the city where sex work is known to take place. because savings is as savings does. >> we really can't say why. -ahhh. Photo Source It took nearly a year for medical examiners to identify the decomposing victims, most of whom were Hispanic and all of whom were female. tired of seeing him hurt. In May 2008, 13 yo Aarushi Talwar was found murdered in her own bedroom in Noida, India. They think theyre just a bunch of hookers and drug addicts, he said. When the police confronted the boy, they were told by the boy that Wozniak had asked him to withdraw the money for him. >> when was the last time you saw her? bill's back needed a afvacation from his vacation. >> she searched for the innocent. so you can move more. (vo) automatically sort your expenses and save over 40 hours a month. >> i said to one of my editors. 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? [4] Blea, in the Mid-School rape case, was sentenced to 36 years in June 2015, at 58 years of age. i took her to a friend's house and dropped her off there. However, two names have been widely. make febreze part of your clean routine for whole home freshness. >> reporter: at 14 most kids rightfully think their best years are ahead of them. Ross would soon discover that 11 dead bodies, now known as the West Mesa Murders, lay beneath. i am comfortable with the fact that we gave her a proper burial as a human being should be buried. >> it's more than just a few. >> reporter: the detectives needed a solid tip. do not use apoquel in dogs less than 12 months old or those with serious infections. >> the majority of our girls were street-level prostitutes. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. those two files would mark the beginning of the biggest case in her career and would turn into pabarmis.markintos most heinouy crime stories. >> kind of weird to be able to, you know, call a family and say great news -- >> oh, yeah. young hispanic women with arrest records for drugs or prostitution. 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. so help heal your skin from within, with dupixent. >> how'd she look? every time he saw her he marked the date down. >> reporter: and so she learned, about the lives of the women on the street. she struggled to hold it all together. she said, well, dad, i'm going to run. Dateline - NBC.com Compelling mysteries, powerful documentaries, in-depth investigations. >> she was on your list. babcock says he saw marks on the woman's throat and that she told him montoya looked like he was enjoying it. so, let's make this the summer of loving your gut. The killings are called the "West Mesa murders" because the bodies were buried on the west side of Albuquerque. >> you're a prisoner in this apartment now. >> we approached the vehicle, opened the door. and ida says, "dan." Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. the position was there. >> there could be somebody up there right now. Reported missing between 2001 and 2005, they ranged in age from 15 to 32. Mesa and their son were shot outside their home, their son was only injured. except for one thing. >> not for you. >> reporter: for the detectives who were trying to catch a serial killer those remains represented a wild card with staggering implications. >> police have set up a tip line. we don't know. What appeared to be a human bone was just the beginning. 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. albuquerque police were looking at the evolving work of a serial killer. but she was unable to find the aunt or to pin down the source of the rumor. before discovering nexium 24hr to treat her frequent heartburn, marie could only imagine enjoying freshly squeezed orange juice. Wozniak was deeply in debt and wanted money to finance his upcoming wedding and honeymoon. >> reporter: when christine ross decided to take her dog ruca for a walk. h b u te then a third one comes in. dupixent is not a steroid, and it continuously treats your eczema even when you can't see it. Gilbert Gallegos, an Albuquerque police spokesman, said detectives receive hundreds of tips in the case each year, and continue to follow different leads while retesting evidence as DNA and other investigative technology advances. soon could be years. Be the first one to comment on this story. >> what did doctors tell you? Between 2002 and 2005, a serial killer who became known as the West Mesa Bone Collector murdered and buried 11 women in the outskirts of Albuquerque, New Mexico. and they'd go through the alley, do their tricks in the alley. In February 2009, her body was identified. >> i took it upon myself to tape them, tape every event. The police are reportedly willing to reward $100,000 to anybody who provides information on the West Mesa murders. shocking talk on the streets. dr. scholl's. 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. Detectives were left with the fact that serial killers move with ease, often vanishing long before their victims are ever found. nine. >> she was on my list. The mysteries surrounding the West Mesa Murders, an unsolved case of 11 female bodies discovered in a desert graveyard near Albuquerque in 2009. after months of digging for bones in the desert west of albuquerque, detectives desperately wanted to get on with the work of catching a killer. >> reporter: michelle valdez. Getty Stock Images . >> well, they were shocked. mostly progressive's name your price tool. In 2007, before the harrowing discovery, the detective reportedly claimed that she had a file of more than 17 women, whom she referred to as "her girls," with similar backgrounds of addiction or prostitution who went missing between 2001 and 2006 from the Albuquerque streets. >> reporter: although 15-year-old jamie barela was not a prostitute, she was last seen with one, her cousin evelyn salazar, whose remains were also found on the mesa. Your login session has expired. did you know her? i've been beat. She was from Lawton, Oklahoma, and was reportedly last seen in Denver, police said. and then she says is there anything that we can do? yes, i pray that they're okay. >> this in a way suggests that maybe there are women out there who aren't on any list. they had the big telescoping lenses. there's a better choice. you need to stop and smell the roses of savings. [12] Michelle Valdez was four months pregnant at the time of her death.[13]. the development at first, the housing downturn, after that the fact the company leaves, a big rainstorm comes, unearths certain things, and now we locate these victims. licking, scratching, scooting, and rubbing may be signs of allergic itch, a medical condition that may require fast-acting, prescription apoquel. Known as the West Mesa killings, the victims' deaths have resulted in no arrests, despite the massive homicide investigation police launched after discovering the makeshift graves. 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. Female sex workers are far more likely to be the victims of violent crimes like rape and murder, but communities do not tend to take notice of such cases in the same way as when women from other parts of society are affected. TV Archive i noticed when she started seeing one of her boyfriends, you know. and this desert doesn't give up its secrets easily. the money. "Dateline NBC" is the longest-running series in NBC primetime history and is in its 31st season. Looking back what has changed for women on the streets?". >> she was last seen in denver. >> even though you knew -- >> even though i knew that it could be going for drugs. ", "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! [9] Police confirmed that they had cleared Erwin as a suspect. she was at -- you know, at a hurting spot. Both had disappeared after walking to a local park in 2004. >> when they found the second, third, and fourth sets i said to myself i have to realistically look at this, that michelle i'm sure probably is out there. >> 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. n.d then there was the service part, the helping people part of police work. 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. >> in death as in life? These are the eleven victims identified in as being found in the dumping ground in the West Mesa. it was comforting that it didn't just happen to me. >> it was in september of 2004. it was so much going through my. >> no. >> yeah, i think there's no doubt that you're dealing with one guy. it's the city's annual balloon fiesta. [2] He was found guilty and sentenced to death in September 2016. they had literally spent weeks in the trenches looking for bones at that abandoned construction site. According to the TV program, FBI profilers told Albuquerque police that the killer was a white or Hispanic male in his 30s. but you know what? i said no. they pick up a lot of girls. we came upon it, and it appeared to be a bone. Ominously, Montoya was holding a flashlight when he died while his victim was wrapped in a blanket near his SUV. >> the numbers grew. and you never know how your skin will look. >> 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. >> reporter: based on photographs of the skull and a partial hair weave that was recovered from her grave, the sketch artist imagined that jane doe number 7 must have looked something like this. 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. 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." One day later, Hemraj's partially decomposed body was found in the terrace of the same home. 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. Dateline Mystery is a series that is currently running and has 1 seasons (7 episodes). Four crime scenes, thirty-two gunshot wounds, eight members of the Rhoden family left dead in their homes. a restless night's sleep. >> reporter: working alone, the detective distributed flyers with the women's pictures at truck stops, convenience stores, even the new mexico state fair. >> reporter: then came the teen years.me when life started coming at michelle valdez fast and furious. maybe he knew where the money was going to go. The Piketon Massacre. and it was i thought perfect timing. According to satellite photos, the last victim was buried in 2005. 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. well, if they were, so be it. the killer, whoever he was, and police naturally assumed the killer was male, had a five-year head start. jane doe number 8 was michelle valdez. that changed when michelle failed to show up for angelica's seventh birthday party. 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. Joseph Blea (left) and Lorenzo Montoya (right). >> reporter: detective todd babcock and sergeant lou heckroft drew the job of trying to track downtown killer. and there were certain processes that it did pose a concern. and one of the things that those girls all had in common was that they were all attractive and blond and white and didn't have any criminal record. dan knew about some of the arrests.d most he didn't. "They did an excellent job with our West Mesa murders," said Sgt. la la la la la. Uploaded by i love you, hon. >> all the stars aligned. >> it was a problem. >> how many other detectives ins missing persons? Details of Disappearance. All Rights Reserved. They arrested him again a year later as he raped and strangled a sex worker that he apparently never had any plans to pay, since he only had $2 in his wallet at the time. maybe it was camille saying no or whatever. she made detective, married, another cop, and started a family. Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. didn't look like the normal animal bone you find out here. >> and that's still a lot of people. >> this particular individual made sure that he went back each and every time when he was going to dispose of a body and disposed of it in the same area where the other women were. They had picked him up in 1998 when he offered an undercover cop $40 for sex. Case 27: The West Mesa Bone Collector. There are so many episodes online but I can't find this one, http://www.nbcnews.com/watch/dateline/somebodys-daughter-part-1-254001731808. 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. >> yes. michelle's little girl angelica was now the center of attention. awesome. It was the most disturbing murder case Albuquerque police had ever seen and it remains unsolved to this day. the fall of 2005 was one of those times. you know, my husband's got young kids to take care of. Paige Birgfeld, 34, was a well-liked . their customers. and ida lopez couldn't help but wonder if these dry bones were the women she'd been looking for. but most of the women who worked albuquerque's war zone, fellow travelers who might have helped ida find the missing, were too drug addled to provide useful leads. [19][21], In August 2010, police searched several properties in Joplin, Missouri associated with local photographer and businessman Ron Erwin in connection with the West Mesa cases. that christmas angelica opened her presents alone, with no sign of her mother michelle. To this day only theories remained. sometimes into the wee hours of the morning. He choked her to death, and when the woman's boyfriend/pimp came looking for her, he shot and killed Montoya. >> reporter: that he once had a daughter named michelle who was the light of his life. February 2, 2019 / 12:05 PM any trucker initiatives or murderers that the fbi sent us we posted on the wall. [20], Lorenzo Montoya lived less than three miles from the burial site. michelle had just turned 20. a milestone that was not lost on mother or child. and now on the cusp of young adulthood michelle looked gaunt. 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. i got scared. Ross wasnt sure the bone was human, but knew it could be. >> the company kind of left town and just kind of left the land the way it was. 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. cinnamon was a name on ida's list. [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]. there was no shortage of names on the police list of potential suspects who were capable of that. >> did you know michelle was pregnant when she disappeared? The upcoming episode, titled Somebody's Daughter, will air on Oxygen on Tuesday, July 12, at 8:00 PM ET. you know, it seems like they knew or something. Lopezs alma mater) who has written several books on serial killings, said: You cant have a colder cold case, Gibson said.