Seven people are killed during a massacre at a New Mexico bowling alley On a seemingly ordinary Saturday morning, February 10, 1990, in Las Cruces, New Mexico, the life of 34-year-old Stephanie Senac, a female, was irrevocably altered. As the manager of the Las Cruces Bowl, she was in her office preparing for the day ahead, accompanied by her 12-year-old daughter, Melissia Repass, and Melissia's 13-year-old friend, Amy Houser.
The morning took a terrifying turn when two armed men, described as Hispanic, entered the bowling alley through an unlocked door.
The gunmen quickly rounded up Stephanie, the two young girls, and the snack bar cook, Ida Holguin, herding them into the manager's office. The assailants forced Stephanie to open the safe, from which they stole between $4,000 and $5,000. The situation escalated when the bowling alley's mechanic, Steven Teran, arrived with his two young daughters, two-year-old Valerie and six-year-old Paula. Unaware of the horror unfolding inside, they walked into the office and into the middle of the armed robbery. The gunmen then opened fire on all seven people, shooting them multiple times before setting fire to the office and fleeing the scene.
In the immediate aftermath, Amy Houser, Steven Teran, and his daughter Paula were pronounced dead at the scene. Valerie Teran was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to her injuries shortly after. Miraculously, Stephanie Senac, her daughter Melissia, and Ida Holguin survived the initial attack. Despite being shot five times, young Melissia managed to call 911, an act that saved the lives of the three survivors.
Although Stephanie Senac survived the horrific events of that day, she endured lasting health complications from her injuries. For nine years, she lived with the physical and emotional scars of the massacre. On August 1, 1999, at the age of 43, Stephanie Senac died as a result of the injuries she had sustained in the 1990 shooting. The two men responsible for the brutal attack have never been identified, and no arrests have ever been made in the case, leaving the tragic story of the Las Cruces bowling alley massacre an unsolved crime.
