Seven people are killed during a massacre at a New Mexico bowling alley On a seemingly ordinary Saturday morning, February 10, 1990, the life of 12-year-old Melissa Repass was irrevocably altered in a horrifying act of violence at the Las Cruces Bowl in New Mexico. Melissa, a young female, was at the bowling alley with her 13-year-old friend, Amy Houser, intending to help supervise the daycare. Her mother, Stephanie C.
Senac, who managed the establishment, was preparing to open for the day.
The morning took a dark turn when two men entered the bowling alley through an unlocked door. They brandished a. 22 caliber pistol, first confronting the cook, Ida Holguin, and forcing her into the office where Stephanie, Melissa, and Amy were. The assailants demanded money from the safe, and the situation escalated when the bowling alley's mechanic, Steven Teran, arrived with his two young daughters, six-year-old Paula Holguin and two-year-old Valerie Teran, intending to leave them at the daycare.
Tragically, the robbers then shot all seven people in the office multiple times before setting a fire in an attempt to destroy evidence. Despite being shot five times, Melissa Repass heroically managed to call 911 for help. Her courageous act is credited with saving her own life, as well as the lives of her mother and Ida Holguin. However, Amy Houser, Steven Teran, and his two daughters, Paula and Valerie, all succumbed to their injuries. Melissa's mother, Stephanie Senac, survived the initial attack but passed away in 1999 due to complications from the wounds she sustained that day.
In the aftermath, law enforcement launched a massive investigation. Roadblocks were set up, and searches were conducted with the assistance of the U.S. Customs Service, the Army, and the Border Patrol, but the suspects were never found. The perpetrators were described as two men, believed to be Hispanic with dark complexions. Police artist sketches of the two individuals were created and circulated, but to this day, no arrests have been made in the case. The Las Cruces bowling alley massacre remains an unsolved crime, a painful and lingering mystery for the community and the survivors. A significant reward is still being offered for information that could lead to the identification and arrest of the men responsible for the brutal attack that ended four lives and forever scarred others.
