One of the unidentified victims had an unusual set of acrylic nails that could help detectives determine her identity.

CrimePAY$   $100,000 Reward    TipLine 1-888-755-TIPS (8477)

Just like any other day, Christine Ross and her dog Ruca left their home on Albuquerque’s west side to go for a walk. But on Feb. 2, 2009, the stroll took a strange turn.

Ruca sniffed out a large bone protruding from the path, and Christine did a double take. Christine said the bone looked human. She was right. Turns out, Ruca uncovered what would become one of the largest crime scenes in the Southwest.

When police arrived to check the area, they didn’t uncover just one body: Over the course of several weeks, they uncovered the bodies of 11 women and one unborn child.

The “West Mesa Murders” refer to the remains of 11 women found buried in 2009 in the desert on the West Mesa of Albuquerque, New Mexico. No suspects have been identified in the case and a serial killer is believed to be responsible.

All the women were young; most were Hispanic, and most were involved with drugs and prostitution.

Police suspect that the bodies were all buried by the same person or persons, and may be the work of a serial killer sometimes referred to as the “West Mesa Bone Collector”. Authorities also believe that the murders are closely linked to the annual state fair, which attracts large numbers of prostitutes to the area in the fall.

The remains discovered in 2009 were identified as those of the following women, all of whom disappeared between 2003 and 2005:

Jamie Barela, 15
Monica Candelaria, 22
Victoria Chavez, 26
Virginia Cloven, 24
Syllania Edwards, 15
Cinnamon Elks, 32
Doreen Marquez, 24
Julie Nieto, 24
Veronica Romero, 28
Evelyn Salazar, 27
Michelle Valdez, 22

Syllania Edwards, a 15 year-old runaway from Oklahoma, was the only African American, and the only victim from out-of-state. Michelle Valdez was four months pregnant at the time of her death.

On December 9, 2010, Albuquerque police released six photos of seven unidentified women who may also be linked to West Mesa. Some of the women appear to be unconscious, and many share the same physical characteristics as the original 11 victims.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 ago. 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. Police would not say how or where they had obtained the photos.

Two men who initially attracted police attention in connection with the murders were Fred Reynolds and Lorenzo Montoya. Reynolds was a pimp who knew one of the missing women and reportedly had photos of missing prostitutes; he died of natural causes in January 2009. Lorenzo Montoya lived less than two miles from the burial site; in 2006 there were reportedly tire tracks leading from his trailer to the site.[4] In December 2006, Montoya strangled a teenage prostitute at his trailer; he was shot to death by the prostitute’s boyfriend.

In August 2010, police searched several properties in Joplin, Missouri associated with a local photographer and businessman in connection with the West Mesa cases. They confiscated “tens of thousands” of photos from the man, who reportedly used to visit the state fair in Albuquerque.

In December 2010, convicted Colorado serial killer Scott Lee Kimball stated that he was being investigated for the West Mesa murders; he denies killing the women.

No official suspects have ever been named in connection with the murders. A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible.

CrimePAY$ $100,000 Reward TipLine 1-888-755-TIPS (8477)

This entry was posted on Monday, July 30th, 2012 at 8:41 am and is filed under $100,000+, High Profile Cases, New Mexico, Unsolved Murder. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.