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 two-year-old Valerie Teran was tragically cut short in a brutal act of violence that has haunted the city for decades. Valerie, a young Hispanic girl, along with her six-year-old sister Paula Holguin and their 26-year-old father, Steven Teran, became innocent victims in a horrific event that would come to be known as the Las Cruces Bowling Alley Massacre.
That morning, Steven, a mechanic at the Las Cruces Bowl, was unable to find a babysitter for his two young daughters and decided to take them to the bowling alley's daycare.
Upon their arrival shortly after 8:00 a.m., they unwittingly walked into a robbery in progress. Two unidentified men had entered the bowling alley before it opened and were holding the manager, her daughter, her daughter's friend, and a cook at gunpoint in the office. After taking approximately $4,000 to $5,000 from the safe, the gunmen's violent intentions escalated with the unexpected arrival of the Teran family. The two assailants, described as Hispanic males, then shot all seven people multiple times at point-blank range before setting fire to the office to destroy evidence and fleeing the scene.
While three other victims would initially survive the onslaught, Valerie was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival. Her father and sister, along with a 13-year-old girl named Amy Houser, died at the scene. In the immediate aftermath, law enforcement launched a massive search, setting up roadblocks and utilizing aircraft to scan the area, but the two suspects vanished without a trace. Despite numerous tips and ongoing investigations over the years, no arrests have ever been made in connection with the murders. The case remains a painful open wound for the community and the surviving family members, a chilling and unsolved mystery.
