NM - West Mesa Murders (2003-05)

[Bud]

Is it just me, or does it seem like this topic should be moved from "Crimes in the News"? This is not about a crime that was just committed. In my opinion this is about 16 women that have been missing for many years and now the possibility of identiying them. Sooo....shouldn't this either be in the Missing/Located Discussion forum or the Unidentified forum? I also think we may get a little more participation if it is moved.

Personally, I very rarely look at the "Crimes in the News" section. I spend all of my time in the Missing section. I found this topic when I was looking at Jessie's (Foster) case. I remained on this topic, because I have always followed the missing women from New Mexico.

JMO, of course.

I'm a bit surprised that people aren't more interested in a case that involves at least 13 victims, and I worry that it's because they read "involved in drugs and prostitution" and just shrug as if it makes it all right. I mean, 13 victims is HUGE. It's a serial killer, it's a massacre. But who cares if the victims are drug abusing prostitutes?

Their loved ones, for one. We've heard from mothers, sisters, cousins and children who are just as much grieved and upset as if the victims had been college girls with a bright future in law school ahead of them.

As Ella's Mom stated... it may simply be the forum in which this is posted. There are many threads on this site that deal with the dead/missing who led, what some would consider, 'unsavory' lives. I've never noticed such threads going 'cold' or lacking in attention because of that.

 

[Blackwatch]

Are you talking about the case of Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo of Matamoros, Mexico, the "drug lord" of a small drug operation and practitioner of Palo Mayobme, who boiled his victims' remains in a Nanga? If so, crime library has an article that goes into the specifics of that case (click here), which would not have been solved, had his drug runners not kidnapped then University of Texas student, Mark Kilroy.

Yes, that's the one I was thinking of, thank you. I'll read the link in a little while, if I remember correctly, it was both horrifying and very interesting.

 

[shadowraiths]

But who cares if the victims are drug abusing prostitutes?

I, for one, do. Care, that is. Furthermore, imo, their lifestyle only matters to the extent it can help to identify the perp (or perps, as the case may be).

Nonetheless, I also agree that there is a seeming lack of interest in this tragic case. And I am not speaking with regard to the low participation on this thread. After all, there are numerous cases going on at any one time on this forum, so interests tend to be split between co-occurring cases.

What I personally found to be troubling was lack of interest when I mentioned the case to a few close friends from the area while trying to locate information about Reynold's website. I guess I expected locals to be more interested.

While this lack of interest may in part be due to the APD's announcement that the most likely suspects are deceased and there is no serial killer running around the streets of Albuquerque, I would proffer the reported lifestyle has more to do with the disinterested response.

Something to the effect of, "joe-serial-killer is just going after prostitutes, so we're safe." You know, the, "that happens to other people" syndrome.

 

[ella's mom]

I agree. I would think a case like this would get more discussion. I don't think it has anything to do with lifestyles though. I don't know any long time websleuth members that discriminate due to lifestyle, lifestyle choices, race, etc.

As for new members that might be drawn to the boards, I think there is a lack of media coverage on this. It may be getting coverage in western US, but it isn't in the east. I am in Michigan and our news has not covered this at all. No one I have talked to has heard of the missing girls or the current situation. I know about these cases, because I have followed them over the years.

I really think if if got moved, it might be easier to find. Can anyone tell me how I go about having it moved?

 

[Fairy1]

I'm a bit surprised that people aren't more interested in a case that involves at least 13 victims, and I worry that it's because they read "involved in drugs and prostitution" and just shrug as if it makes it all right. I mean, 13 victims is HUGE. It's a serial killer, it's a massacre. But who cares if the victims are drug abusing prostitutes?

Their loved ones, for one. We've heard from mothers, sisters, cousins and children who are just as much grieved and upset as if the victims had been college girls with a bright future in law school ahead of them.

I care! Don't post on this case, but I follow it everyday. I have seen all of these possible victims in my searches for the missing and I cannot believe LE hasn't done more to put it all together before now.

As the victims are ID'd, it's very clear that they all have families who loved them and have been searching or waiting for them to come home. Beautiful women who lost their way but were loved and have been missed.

I sincerely hope their killer will be brought to justice. It's obvious that there are people out there who MAY know what happened to them. The nation is watching and I have to believe there will be justice!

 

[hoppyfrog]

http://www.koat.com/news/18919786/detail.html

13 March 09

The mother of Monica Candelaria said her daughter fits the description of other women identified as being buried at the site.


She has been paying close attention to this search and is waiting to hear if her daughter's remains have been found.


Even though investigators haven't made any new discoveries in a few weeks, her family isn't giving up hope.


Candelaria's family still looks at her pictures wondering what led to her disappearance in 2003.


Isabel Candelaria, Monica's mother, said, "Everyday hasn't been a day goes by I don't miss her."


Monica was 23 years old when she didn't show up to her son's birthday party and that's when her mother knew something was drastically wrong.

much more at link

 

[Kat]

It would not surprise me if Isabel was there on the mesa. We only have ID's for 4 adult female victims so far, and while we can't yet know the tight the timeline is for those victims yet to be identified, we can look at the ones already IDed and see that so far, and until more vic's are IDed the timeline of disappearance for them is June 2003 to Aug 2004.

She may very well be IDed from the Mesa. If she is, then we've got someone that put those vics there in a fairly tight timeline and that will be very interesting from a sleuthing point of view.

 

[Bud]

It would not surprise me if Isabel was there on the mesa. We only have ID's for 4 adult female victims so far, and while we can't yet know the tight the timeline is for those victims yet to be identified, we can look at the ones already IDed and see that so far, and until more vic's are IDed the timeline of disappearance for them is June 2003 to Aug 2004.

She may very well be IDed from the Mesa. If she is, then we've got someone that put those vics there in a fairly tight timeline and that will be very interesting from a sleuthing point of view.

Don't tell Isabel that... Isabel is the mother :winko:

Monica is the daughter.

 

[Kat]

Don't tell Isabel that... Isabel is the mother :winko:

Monica is the daughter.

HAHA Bud!

I need to brush up on my reading retention skills huh?

I stand humbly corrected

Still waiting for more information to be released :sheesh:

Once we get more information it will be easier to get an idea of what the LE is dealing with out there.

 

[fran]

I care! Don't post on this case, but I follow it everyday. I have seen all of these possible victims in my searches for the missing and I cannot believe LE hasn't done more to put it all together before now.

As the victims are ID'd, it's very clear that they all have families who loved them and have been searching or waiting for them to come home. Beautiful women who lost their way but were loved and have been missed.

I sincerely hope their killer will be brought to justice. It's obvious that there are people out there who MAY know what happened to them. The nation is watching and I have to believe there will be justice!

I've been watching this case unfold as well. It doesn't matter what walk of life these victims came from, they didn't deserve what happened to them.

I pray they're able to identify all of the victims and solve this case. But gosh, it looks like there may possibly be more,.............this case reminds me of a case we heard about when we lived in Oregon. Women were going missing and people wouldn't realize it for quite some time. THEN, the bodies started showing up. One, two, two more, a couple more,.......they started identifying them and then...........it stopped..............a few years went by, cold case. Then, the bodies started showing up again.................The Green River Killer was on the prowl again. We know how that ended.....

There's another serial type case going on in LA, Jennings..............same type of thing. I can't recall the count,???? 6,...7? Over a few year period. All from the same side of town and some knew each other......

Every one of these cases counts. It's LE that drops the ball on some of these. Or..........maybe that's not really the right word..........they are mystified too......a 'stranger' killer is much harder to track down. But, in order to solve the case, someone has to investigate it. I hope they put enough man power into this case.

I'll be watching for future developments.

JMHO
fran

 

[ella's mom]

HAHA Bud!

I need to brush up on my reading retention skills huh?

I stand humbly corrected

Still waiting for more information to be released :sheesh:

Once we get more information it will be easier to get an idea of what the LE is dealing with out there.

Only Bud would have corrected you. We all knew what you meant : ).

I want more news now. I hate it when LE goes silent. I tend to agree with Fran. I bet there is more too. Probably somewhere else perv lived.

 

[Donjeta]

Some missing persons that have been ruled out: April Pitzer, missing from California since 2004 in whose name cell phone account was opened in Albuquerque, and another woman named Catherine, no further information.

http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/...bring_queries_on_lost_loved_ones_200903161745

 

[Kat]

From the article Donjeta provided in post #172:

"Meanwhile not all the remains recovered from the west mesa are complete. Investigators have said the dig could go on for months."

ETA: If the LE has some incomplete remains, short of DNA testing, I'm not sure we can be positive that only 13 victims are there. I guess we won't know until even the smallest remains are collected and testing completed.

 

[ella's mom]

Some missing persons that have been ruled out: April Pitzer, missing from California since 2004 in whose name cell phone account was opened in Albuquerque, and another woman named Catherine, no further information.

http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/...bring_queries_on_lost_loved_ones_200903161745

Thank you for the article. I am sure many families are coming to LE trying to identify their loved ones. I am happy to see they were able to give them an answer right away.

Does anyone familar with missing person cases know who the Catherine might be? I am very familar with April's case. I have followed that case for a long time. I was surprised to see her name listed here. This is the first time I have heard about the phone being opened in her name.

It is almost bittersweet knowing she was not there. I am happy to know she wasn't there, but now her mother has to continue suffering until she is found.

 

[ella's mom]

Nothing new here, but glad to see it still in the news.

http://news.scotsman.com/world/Grim-answer-to-prostitutes-puzzle.5073825.jp

 

[Donjeta]

Does anyone familar with missing person cases know who the Catherine might be?

Just a guess but I think it might be her: http://www.nampn.org/cases/lique_catherine.html

Based on the article, the ruled out Catherine is probably missing from San Bernardino county in California and Lique is from Barstow. She's been missing since 2003 so she would fit the timeline too.

Her myspace says "She was "working" and left one bright November day never to be heard from again". http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=184269859

 

[Kat]

Lique is from Barstow which is over a nine hour drive to Albuquerque.

She's been ruled out? Sorry I'm fuzzy today. Her age and location don't fit into what we know about the IDed victims so far.

I do hope she's found, her daughter deserves to know what has happened to her Mother.

 

[Donjeta]

it says in the article that April Pitzer's and Catherine's information was sent to NM by the coroner's office in San Bernardino county California so I figured Catherine has probably been reported missing there. Hence the location. But she was ruled out. But worth a try for the relatives' sake and easily checked since it took less than a day.

http://www.koat.com/news/18946463/detail.html

Vanessa Reid Lujan was a 25-year-old mother when she disappeared. Her family said she was trying to turn her life around, but fell back into a drug addiction.

She also ran in the same circles as some of the identified west mesa victims. Medical investigators are looking for Lujan's dental records.

 

[Kat]

http://www.koat.com/news/18946677/detail.html

Snipped from link above: POSTED: 12:43 am MDT March 17, 2009


"Wendy Potter and Christopher Grievas have spent countless hours at the West Mesa dig site analyzing bones." (General interview with two anthropologists working on Mesa).

Next article:
http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/nation...help_in_west_mesa_mystery_2009031618002261098

snipped from above article:

Published : Tuesday, 17 Mar 2009, 1:20 PM EDT

snipped from above link:

"Now, a private investigator is offering free help to people who wonder if a missing member of their family might be one of the unknown eight...

"...We saw all the bodies found, we have several missing persons cases of young ladies that age and our clients were calling us, saying could our loved ones be there," Dr. George Walker said.

Walker put an ad in the paper last week, offering help for free to any family who believes their missing friend or relative could be one of the bodies found in the mesa.

He's gotten 10 calls so far, five of which he believes have potential ties to the West Mesa crime scene.

"A lot of parents have DNA samples in their homes that they're not aware of," Walker said. "Old brushes belong to loved one though of no use, sitting in your house, but if they have hair follicles you can identify people through DNA."

Walker wants to help families gather that DNA to hand over to police. He said he'll also work to track down dental records—even if that means tracking a dentist who has moved out of state..."

Video available of Dr. George Walker (PI) speaking, I did not view it.

 

[Kat]

O/T but I researched the PI and found his website.

http://finalnotice-investigativeservicesgroup.com/Final_Notice/Bin/sellfolio.html

License is up to date.

If what he has represented in his bio on that website is factual, then I hope that he can help these families in whatever way he can.