On a tragic Saturday morning, February 10, 1990, the life of 26-year-old Steven Saenz Teran, a male mechanic, was brutally cut short in what would become one of Las Cruces, New Mexico's most infamous and heartbreaking unsolved crimes. That morning, Steven went to his workplace, the Las Cruces Bowl, with his two young daughters, six-year-old Paula Holguin and two-year-old Valerie Teran. He was intending to leave them in the care of the bowling alley's daycare.
Unbeknownst to him, a horrific scene was unfolding inside.
Two unidentified men had entered the bowling alley through an unlocked door and were in the process of robbing the business. The suspects, described as Hispanic men with dark complexions who spoke fluent English, had already rounded up the manager, Stephanie C. Senac, her 12-year-old daughter Melissa Repass, Melissa's 13-year-old friend Amy Houser, and the cook, Ida Holguin, holding them at gunpoint in the office. When Steven and his daughters entered the office, they stumbled upon the armed robbery. The two gunmen then shot all seven people multiple times before setting a fire in the office in an attempt to destroy evidence and fleeing with an estimated $5,000.
Steven Teran, his daughter Paula, and Amy Houser died at the scene. His youngest daughter, Valerie, was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to her injuries. Despite being shot five times, Melissa Repass managed to call 911, an act of heroism that saved her life and the lives of her mother and Ida Holguin. Stephanie Senac, however, died in 1999 from complications related to the injuries she sustained that day.
In the immediate aftermath, law enforcement launched a massive manhunt, setting up extensive roadblocks and using aircraft to search for the suspects, but to no avail. Over three decades have passed, and despite numerous tips, features on national television shows like "Unsolved Mysteries" and "America's Most Wanted," and a substantial cash reward for information, no arrests have ever been made in the case. The Las Cruces Police Department continues to actively investigate the murders, holding out hope that new leads or advancements in technology might finally bring the perpetrators to justice. The brutal and senseless act continues to haunt the community and the surviving family members, who are left with the enduring pain of their loss and the frustration of a case that remains unsolved.
