Background
From 2001 and 2005, at least 19 women disappeared from the streets of Albuquerque. 11 of these women who disappeared were discovered in the West Mesa. In mid-2005, detective Ida Lopez with the Albuquerque police noticed that these women had something in common: they had ties to drugs and prostitution. From her list, 10 of the names were matched to the victims.
Statistically, women with ties to prostitution are less likely to be searched for. According to an AETV article about the West Mesa murders, this is due to "the fact that many communities already see sex workers as a “problem” that should go away."
Discovery
In February of 2009, Christine Ross was walking her dog, Ruca, on the West Mesa near Albuquerque when the pair stumbled across something nobody ever wants to find - a human femur sticking up from the ground. When police arrived and began investigating, they uncovered a decomposing human skeleton. After weeks of excavating, Albuquerque police ultimately unearth the decomposing remains of 11 women and girls and one unborn fetus.
The discovered remains were identified as mostly Hispanic and between the ages of 15 and 32.
The Victims
It took detectives a year to identify the 11 victims they found.
The 11 West Mesa victims, in order of identification as listed below.
Victorica Chavez, age 26, was the first victim of the 11 discovered to be identified. Chavez was last seen in early 2004. Her mother reported her missing in March of 2005, after not seeing her for over a year.
Michelle Valdez, age 22, was reported missing by her father in February 2005. It was determined that she was 4 months pregnant when she was killed. Her father died in early 2015 with no answers as to what happened to his daughter.
Cinnamon Elks, age 32, was the third victim identified. She was reported missing by her mother in August of 2004, when Elks failed to call her for her birthday. It has been noted that she was friends with at least three other West Mesa victims.
Julie Nieto, age 23, was last seen at her grandfather's house in August 2004. She left behind a young son who has since been raised by Nieto's mother.
Monica Candelaria, age 21, was the third victim recovered and fifth identified. She was last seen in 2003 and was the first of the West Mesa victims to have been reported missing. When originally investigating her disappearance, detectives were told by Candelaria's friends that she had been killed and buried on the Mesa.
Veronica Romero, age 27, was the seventh victim recovered and sixth identified. She was reported missing on Valentine's Day 2004.
Doreen Marquez, age 27, was last seen in October of 2003, making her the second victim to be reported missing. Reports conflict about when she was last seen - some say she was dropping a child off at school and others say she was walking in a neighborhood.
Syllannia Edwards, age 15, is the only African American victim. Edwards was not reported missing from Albuquerque. She was a runaway from Lawton, Oklahoma. According to a tip received early on, she was last seen in Denver in mid 2004. It is believed she was a "circuit girl," or someone who traveled the I-40 corridor as a prostitute.
Virginia Cloven, age 23, was last heard from by her parents in June of 2004. In October of 2004, her father reported her missing.
Evelyn Salazar, age 27, was last seen in early 2004 at a family gathering. Her cousin, Jamie Barela, was with her.
Jamie Barela, age 15, was last seen with her cousin Evelyn Salazar in 2004. She was the last victim to be identified.
Suspects
While the suspect list is long and nothing has been confirmed, police have named three suspects/persons of interest in the case so far.
Fred Reynolds was a known pimp who had personal connections to at least two of the West Mesa victims. Reynolds died of natural causes in January of 2009 - almost a month before the first victim was discovered. He entered the suspect pool months later. It is said that before his death, Reynolds began making inquiries into the disappearances of these women. Later, Reynolds was cleared as a suspect and is believed to not have any involvement in the crimes.
Lorenzo Montoya lived less than 5 miles from the West Mesa burial site and had a history with prostitution - even being caught by police as possibly trying to rape and strangle a prostitue they watched him pick up. Montoya brought a sex worker into his trailer in 2006. She never left. After over an hour of not hearing from her, her boyfriend went to check on her and reportedly found Montoya attempting to put her lifeless body into his car. The boyfriend shot and killed Montoya. Over two years after his death, the West Mesa victims were discovered. Police quickly named him as a suspect for various reasons, including records of a violent history with sex workers and his proximity to the burial site. There has been no financial or physical evidence to connect Montoya to the crimes. However, he remains a likely suspect.
Joseph Blea was also quickly named as a suspect. His first wife actually contacted police only seven days after the first bone was found and told them to look into him. Fourtunately, they already knew a lot about him. Blea was known to be involved with sex crimes and prostitutes. He was reportedly known to frequent the East Central corridor - an area known for prostitution and drugs that multiple victims were also known to frequent. Blea is currently serving 90 years in prison for 4 sexual assault charges unrelated to the West Mesa victims. Blea still also remains a likely suspect, but nothing has been proven.
The Search for Answers
How the West Mesa 11 died has still not been officially determined. It is possible they were strangled or suffocated. It has been almost 12 years since they were discovered and police still have very few answers. With few leads and few details, many people have started to form their own theories.
The families of the victims continue to attempt to bring justice for their daughters, mothers, sisters and friends.
If you have any tips or information about the West Mesa Serial Killer, contact the Albuquerque Police at (505) 242-2677.
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