Getty Stock Images . (NBC) "Dateline NBC" will air a two-hour special Friday on the latest in the investigation into the murders of the University of Idaho students Ethan . >> it gathered a lot of attention because we had to utilize the fbi. >> you look at how many things had to have happened for these victims to be located. So she took a picture of it and texted her sister. Still, authorities have not given up. Mesa and their son were shot outside their home, their son was only injured. In a major plot twist, as they were about to be married, one had something to confess and the other dealt with the fallout. >> for a long time the news would be full of stories about girls who were missing and everybody's looking for them. for police that seemed like a good place to start their search for the killer. >> reporter: and for albuquerque's homicide detectives there was the most pressing question of all. heart that day when she wasn't there. >> this is michelle. The process repeated itself in more or less the same way about five years later. that dares to last into the morning. "You have to know people, their names and what they look like to know people are missing," she said. >> i looked up to her for many things. >> sit. 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. i said all right. >> reporter: dan may have had. [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's taking all my time. Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. and they'd go through the alley, do their tricks in the alley. she struggled to hold it all together. Authorities suspect a serial killer could be behind the deaths of 11 women and a yet unborn fetus, who were discovered in New Mexico. >> reporter: according to police, montoya lured the woman to his home near the west mesa burial ground. until late in the afternoon on february 2nd, 2009. According to police reports, she might have gone by Mimi or Chocolate while staying at the Ranger Motel. >> reporter: by now the street alongside the desert crime scene was a media encampment, where reporters were predictably live at 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00. sometimes reporting details that crime scene commander paul feist preferred to keep secret. >> then in february 2009 came unsettling news. memorial service organized by Street Safe New Mexico. >> that's a possibility. >> all the stars aligned. advil pm. >> we're looking for people who've had histories of showing, violence against prostitutes. 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. >> it is a lot of shovel and pick work. squeeze me tight. >> probably because he felt safe out here. Dateline: Unforgettable airs every Tuesday on Oxygen at 8:00 PM ET. it's pretty much the easiest way to save since sliced bread. 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. It is unknown, however, if she traveled on her own or was trafficked there. 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. >> the reality, it was kind of, like this is not happening. eventually, ida and the cold case detective were able to persuade the department to let them form an unofficial task force, where once a month they met with other agencies, including the fbi. to find out commander mike geyer, head of the albuquerque p.d. and this desert doesn't give up its secrets easily. of a young girl's dreams. The serial murders of 11 women in the West Mesa area of Albuquerque will be featured in a two-hour edition of NBC's Dateline tonight. "They all had families that care for them.". i miss you, hon. then four. licking, scratching, scooting, and rubbing may be signs of allergic itch, a medical condition that may require fast-acting, prescription apoquel. so help heal your skin from within, with dupixent. with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis, you feel like you're itching all the time. one woman determined to find them. >> she was a college student found on a lonely road in texas. New Mexico Authorities Offer $100,000 Reward for Help Solving West Mesa Murders of 11 Women and Unborn Child . where did she come from? michelle had just turned 20. a milestone that was not lost on mother or child. >> reporter: when christine ross decided to take her dog ruca for a walk. The West Mesa killings occurred from 2001 - 2005, and the serial killer responsible has never been caught. >> so you were being a father all over again. they deal with all kinds. If you have information about the West Mesa murders, please contact APD at 1-877-765-8273 or (505) 768-2450. >> 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. -yeah. >> you're up half a mile to 3/4 of a mile from any populated area back in the time frame. >> reporter: finding a bone, even a human bone, is not unusual out here on albuquerque's west mesa. dan valdez, her father, had reported michelle missing six months before ida got the case.c he was the guy who kept the calendar. (danny) after a long day of hard work you have to do more work? and detective ida lopez, who'd had their names on her list of missing women. The 11th, meanwhile, was 15-year-old Jamie Barela. In this video we take a look at an infamous killer in Albuquerque, New Mexico, known as the West Mesa Bone Collector. bones started to get names. >> and under a desert sky the lost waited to be found. valdez had been virtually invisible to everyone in albuquerque. Or, died from other indirect causes, including assault, abuse, or homicide, prior to being funeralized; preped for burial? it's the same instinct that drew her to police work years ago, when she was a kid, growing up in albuquerque. and most of these boxes were returned. Are there any other episodes or podcasts you'd recommend that discuss this further? i never wanna hear you say no, kevin no, kevin! >> when you ask them how many bad dates have you had? looking for michelle. I think there's a Disappeared episode relating to it as well. >> when they told us that they had a young black girl, i thought, i didn't have a young black girl on my list. They gathered information from grieving families and locals, which helped clear up when the victims were last seen but not how they died. In 2009, the bodies of 11 women were found in multiple shallow graves on the West Mesa of Albuquerque but the cases remain unsolved. it was tough. activia. These are the eleven victims identified in as being found in the dumping ground in the West Mesa. >> right. but michelle eventually dropped out of school.mi for a while she tried to support herself and angelica with a series of minimum wage jobs but couldn't make ends meet. To this day, law enforcement officials have been unable to discover the true identity of the murderer, despite the fact that they have a list of potential suspects, two of whom are. flo has it, i want it, it's a whole thing, and she's right there. >> did you see her then? A life long resident of Albuq., NM. >> i just always felt that they were going to be together. Genres >> 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. Street Safe was founded in 2009, aiming to ensure volunteers kept a steady presence in an area along Historic Route 66 while handing out clothing and other products each Friday. >> hi. sometimes because she avoided z the camera. 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. >> i know 100% that my daughter is not alive. >> where was i the night before? a restless night's sleep. >> i was the only detective in there at the time. FULL EPISODE: Somebody's Daughter. web pages happy birthday that september angelica celebrated her sixth birthday. It plans to tie them to fencing near the crime scene Saturday ahead of a gathering to mark the anniversary. Somebody's Daughter: With Lester Holt, Ida Lopez, Josh Mankiewicz. Dateline: Secrets Uncovered Snapped Murdered by Morning An Unexpected Killer Snapped: Killer Couples Final Moments Living with a Serial Killer Buried in the Backyard Killer Relationship with. a camera might figure it out. the only one to combine a safe sleep aid and the 12-hour pain-relieving strength of aleve. it turns out that even though that evidence was long gone by the time those bones were discovered in 2009 a bird's eye view was precisely the perspective investigators needed. use febreze every time you tidy up to keep your whole house smelling fresh air clean. >> reporter: the fact is dan valdez had been recording his. >> how many other detectives ins missing persons? and all had worked as prostitutes on the mean streets of the city's war zone. Years had passed from the time the women and girls disappeared, likely limiting available evidence. 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. [23], In December 2010, convicted Colorado serial killer Scott Lee Kimball stated that he was being investigated for the West Mesa murders, but he denied killing the women.[24]. so you feel refreshed. 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. Photos, information and videos from Dateline here. ask your eczema specialist about dupixent. >> reporter: jane doe's number 7 nose had been broken sometime before she died. because deep within your skin an overly sensitive immune system could be the cause. 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. Her husband, Orlando Mesa, and 18-month-old son were shot just moments after the pair were captured on haunting surveillance camera enjoying the spring evening. [18][19], No official suspects have ever been named in connection with the murders. [19] He had twice been arrested for violent attacks on sex workers and had threatened to kill his girlfriend and bury her in lime. serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, a severe reaction. now that's simple, easy, awesome. all the remains. sometimes into the wee hours of the morning. >> -- your daughter's a prostitute. >> she ran up ahead of me, and she was messing with something on the ground. >> reporter: dan valdez, who'd been wondering for years where his daughter was, saw his most cherished hopes and his most dreaded fears placed on a collision course. and i'm happy and satisfied with that. albuquerque police were looking at the evolving work of a serial killer. n.d then there was the service part, the helping people part of police work. babcock says he saw marks on the woman's throat and that she told him montoya looked like he was enjoying it. i just could feel all the strength in my body just kind of just drain all of a sudden. -ahhh. He was sentenced to death in September 2016 before California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a moratorium on capital punishment in the state. Ida Lopez previously appeared on Dateline in an episode on the West Mesa tragedy which aired in December, 2010. he wouldn't say what the plans were because the only, you know, close person i knew had cancer and died. >> it's like a little dark evil city out here. [12] Michelle Valdez was four months pregnant at the time of her death.[13]. >> it was growing, and i had kidney cancer. probably familiar with the prostitution trade. Although Montoya fit the description, the West Mesa serial killer remains unidentified. we had to utilize the joplin police department. >> if you find one, you're going to find them all. 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. no fingerprints. >> yes. i'm supposed to be in ceramics. [9], The remains discovered in 2009 were identified as those of the following women and girls, all of whom disappeared between 2001 and 2005:[10][11]. how'd he get out?! >> the xs indicating no -- no knowledge of her, disappeared, nothing.ledi no word. i'm craig melvin. at xfinity, we're here to make life simple. she said, michelle. by now dan was emerging as the videographer and de facto spokesman for the families. >> can you tell me what that is? >> reporter: from a pool of hundreds wendy first narrowed the field to 30, then to 10, and then to 1. one girl whose face, age, and biography seemed to match what she saw in the sketch. >> she's like a lot of other cases that we had skeletal remains that come in. how can i help? 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. but is it true? >> when they told us that they had a young black girl, i thought, i didn't have a black girl on my list. >> i saw it on tv on february 2nd, when christina ross and her dog ruca was reported on the. >> fbi agents also searched this home. Police say Wozniak killed combat vet Samuel Eliezer . Syllania Edwards, a 15-year-old runaway from Lawton, Oklahoma, was the only African American, and the only victim from out of state. i don't have a normal, you know, regular address. Her family maintains a Facebook group to solicit tips from the public, and the cold case was featured on Dateline NBC. Ross wasn't sure the bone was human, but knew it could be. ask your veterinarian about apoquel today. The upcoming episode, titled Somebody's Daughter, will air on Oxygen on Tuesday, July 12, at 8:00 PM ET. >> reporter: ida says the stories she heard back then were heartbreaking tales of abuse and neglect that almost always had drugs at their core. 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. so it's a matter of time before they go back out. this date's lame. fabric refresher even works for clothes you want to wear another day. 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. >> it's like being in a race and somebody has a year ahead start. i don't remember the last words we spoke. >> reporter: and it's not just there for inspiration. (part 1), Crime Watch Daily: Community Actor Kills Veteran, Student For Money To Bankroll Honeymoon (part 1), "Lockup Orange County: Extended Stay: Unholy Trinity", Music to Be Murdered By Side B (Deluxe Edition), List of death row inmates in the United States, "Actor decapitated neighbor, performed in musical soon after", "Justice delayed: Why it took more than 5 years for trial of Daniel Wozniak, accused of killing 2, beheading one victim", "Community theater actor sentenced to death for killing, dismembering Afghanistan vet to pay for wedding", "Father describes horror of his dismembered son's murder", "Actor decapitates Army combat vet and kills vet's girlfriend", "After Local Theater Star Commits Grisly Double Murder for Cash, a Two-Year Quest for the Truth", "Daniel Wozniak Murders: Killer Had a Larger-Than-Life Personality, Friends Say", "Ex-actor Daniel Wozniak sentenced to death in double murder and grisly cover-up", "Actor's ex-fiance arrested in killings, dismemberment", "Brother of Death Row Double Murderer Dan Wozniak Held for Domestic Violence", "Ex-Disney Princess Lied to Police Hoping to Help Actor Fianc Get Away with Double-Murder", "Ex-fiance of Orange County killer Wozniak is sentenced as accessory", "Trial date set for convicted killer Daniel Wozniak's ex-fiancee Rachel Buffett Orange County Register", "Actress Accused: Was She an Accessory to Murder? The West Mesa murders have yet to be solved. it's got to be that person. 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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Going to listen. However, the Albuquerque Police Department refuses to lose all hope and continues working on it with whatever leads they have. >> like?wr >> the drugs. >> reporter: this michelle according to her sister camille was an all-american girl with a future as bright as the new mexico sun. ida went by the book. >> i said to one of my editors. but she kept coming up empty. 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. Terms of Service (last updated 12/31/2014). -they're very tasteful. and in spite of their example, they can't quit the life. it was my gateway to making contact with her and seeing her in person. there were still seven missing women who fit the profile on ida lopez's list. see a vehicle pick this girl up. One day later, Hemraj's partially decomposed body was found in the terrace of the same home. it's one of those timing issues we told you about earlier. maybe i did something wrong. but since he bought his house are you going 45? >> no. >> 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. >> we believe that's him. >> you know, i just didn't know. >> reporter: the conclusion was inescapable. Several arrests and convictions in El Paso, Texas, indicated that Albuquerque is part of a broader sex trafficking route that includes the states of Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, as well as the Mexican city of Juarez. This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17 U.S. Code). >> reporter: in february, five months after michelle was last seen, dan went down to the albuquerque police station and formally reported his daughter missing. her nose and her eyes were very important. "Here is that mark of 10 years. Albuquerqueans dont relate to the victims. well, if they were, so be it. believe it! and that's when angelica looked at me and started crying. bill's back needed a afvacation from his vacation. >> homicidal violence. any trucker initiatives or murderers that the fbi sent us we posted on the wall. Another expresses hope that authorities will find the killer. i sent it to my sister, who's a nurse. >> and we will see justice. One bears a stick-figure angel and a message from a woman who says the victims watch over her. Evelyn Salazar disappeared in the spring of 2004 with her 15-year-old cousin Jamie Barela after police said they went to a park together. >> i really thought he could be her killer. A two-hour NBC Dateline special about the 2014 Fayetteville murder of James Allan Chambers II will air Friday at 9 p.m. . These unsolved murders remain one of the biggest homidice cases in the Albuquerque Police Department's history. >> reporter: syllania edwards was released from that denver-area jail in july 2004, the same year almost all the other west mesa women had gone missing. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. that changed when michelle failed to show up for angelica's seventh birthday party. some of it didn't. missing persons were attractive women in their 20s, with arrest records for drugs and prostitution.r both had seemingly vanished without a word to friends or relatives. Fred Reynolds was a pimp who knew one of the missing women and reportedly had photos of missing sex workers; he died of natural causes in January 2009. and that was the last time i seen cinnamon. do you know -- -room 303. and the guy goes toward him, and he's tackled by police. 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. >> i want to talk to you. ten. cinnamon was a name on ida's list. and the devoutly religious detective knew she needed all the help she could get. apoquel is for the control of itch associated with allergic dermatitis and the control of atopic dermatitis in dogs. most common side effects are vomiting and diarrhea. >> yeah, that did cross my mind numerous times. With Safe Streets New Mexico, Jaramillo and Barber aim to give women from this vulnerable sector the protection society fails to provide them. Show Transcript. Ominously, Montoya was holding a flashlight when he died while his victim was wrapped in a blanket near his SUV. 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 . >> i'm still right down the middle of the fairway on this, right? Detectives were left with the fact that serial killers move with ease, often vanishing long before their victims are ever found. i'm sorry, i think you mean roses. her future seemed assured. Today, two suspects remain only of whom is still alive. In 2014, a breakthrough on a decades-old case caused Albuquerque police to become interested in Joseph Blea as a suspect for the murders. 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. While the killings were initially believed to be the work of a serial killer, the involvement of a sex trafficking ring has been suspected. 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. While the FBI created suspect profiles, Albuquerque police knocked on doors. >> we approached the vehicle, opened the door. >> looking at everybody. only activia has billions of our live and active probiotics. but the police who arrived at the scene shortly after nightfall soon determined that this was no ancient artifact. Please enter valid email address to continue. but she was unable to find the aunt or to pin down the source of the rumor. A sinister force seemed to be snatching women off the streets of Albuquerque. [ chuckles ] i'm done with this class. i was so tired of it. However, the West Mesa murders might have changed that in Albuquerque. within weeks of starting her new job, ida was handed two missing persons files. i am comfortable with the fact that we gave her a proper burial as a human being should be buried. do not use if you are allergic to dupixent. >> reporter: over the years ida's career blossomed. but i get to say this is where she's at. >> reporter: two women on ida lopez's list had already been identified among the 11 sets of remains. Sorry! 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. Blea has been dubbed the "Mid-School Rapist" for his activities in the 1980s; police say he would often break into the homes of 13- to 15-year-old girls who lived near McKinley Middle School in Albuquerque and rape them. -keith used to be great to road-trip with. She was released from jail sometime in 2019.[12][13]. The 11 victims whose remains were discovered at the West Mesa site in 2009. Over time, a number of men have attracted police attention, though not named as full suspects, in connection with the murders. >> reporter: though both dan and camille valdez believe michelle's killer is still alive, dan prefers these days to dwell on the things he knows for sure. According to A&E, Jaramillo and a woman named Christine Barber founded an organization to protect sex workers in New Mexico after the discovery of the West Mesa victims in 2009. there weren't just two women that were missing. [9][22] They confiscated "tens of thousands" of photos from the man, who reportedly used to visit the state fair in Albuquerque. The 49 girls and women murdered by Gary Ridgway, the "Green River Killer," in Washington state in the 1980s and '90s didn't receive anywhere near the same level of public attention and sympathy as the college students Ted Bundy murdered in the same state in the 1970s. >> no.n' not at all. clustered within 20 yards of each other. >> 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. >> yes. 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. >> yes. >> so you told michelle she couldn't come over? anybody that was arrested for prostitution, criminal solicitation, anything like. It took nearly a year for medical examiners to identify the decomposing victims, most of whom were Hispanic and all of whom were female. jane doe number 8 had been four months pregnant at the time of her death. >> reporter: no witnesses. After learning about the West Mesa murders, read about the gruesome cult sacrifice of Mark Kilroy. >> reporter: the families of the 18 women now on ida's list prayed for happy endings like that one. >> 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. 14th birthday michelle valdez gave birth to a baby girl she named angelica. jane doe. >> reporter: oddly enough, the west mesa investigators' good fortune began thousands of miles to the east, in the fall of 2008. that's when crumbling financial markets on wall street caused home construction on the west mesa to grind to a halt. >> a college campus gripped by fear. the killer, whoever he was, and police naturally assumed the killer was male, had a five-year head start. >> reporter: by mid april, after 2 1/2 months of intensive searching, mapping, and aerial photography, commander feist finally felt confident that his team had found all the bones there were to find and began shutting down the west mesa crime scene. could be others. Police budgets are stretched thin. a. with xfinity mobile you can bring in your own phone, switch wireless carriers and save hundreds of dollars. >> so you get lucky. Dirk Gibson has no faith that will change, because police lack the necessary incentive. we had things that we wanted to keep very secret, or things that we didn't want released. Ruca found a large bone protruding from the earthen trail. But most of the other victims vanished with even fewer details. michelle had already been busted for receiving and transported stolen property, drug possession and car theft. >> reporter: it was that kind of gut reaction that led detectives to joplin, missouri in august of 2010. Christine felt that the bone didn't look normal. A staff writer for All Thats Interesting, Marco Margaritoff has also published work at outlets including People, VICE, and Complex, covering everything from film to finance to technology. on the Internet. 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. t and so that gave me an empathy for them on that part, and i thought, wow, this has got to be powerful. >> and i can understand it. >> i needed to know where they were all the time. and ida says, "dan." >> reporter: the name, the face, belonged to michelle valdez, one of the first women on ida's list. Both had disappeared after walking to a local park in 2004. >> oh, yeah. so in ida's absence the valdez family was at the mercy of the police department's bureaucracy. that once she was lost and that now she's found. [1] Wozniak and his then-fiance, Rachel Mae Buffett, lived in the same apartment complex as Herr in Costa Mesa, California. but you know, you have to have faith in your law enforcement. Several suspects have been named, but none were arrested or charged. >> in death as in life? >> and she didn't mind? but for the most part the public didn't even know there was a list. Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. >> investigators are looking for connections. According to the Albuquerque Journal, Blea was no stranger to the parts of the city where sex work is known to take place.