West Mesa Bone Collector

Serial Killer

The West Mesa Bone Collector: Albuquerque's Unidentified Serial Killer

Discovery of the West Mesa Burial Ground

The name "West Mesa Bone Collector" refers to the unidentified person, or possibly multiple people, responsible for murdering and burying eleven women and girls on the western edge of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The victims' skeletal remains were discovered in 2009 near 118th Street SW and Dennis Chavez Boulevard, in a desolate section of the city commonly known as the West Mesa. One victim, Michelle Valdez, was pregnant, and the remains of her unborn child were recovered with her. The case began to unfold on February 2, 2009, when Christine Ross was walking through the area with her dog, Ruca. Ross noticed what appeared to be a large bone protruding from the ground. After photographing it and consulting her sister, who was a registered nurse, Ross contacted the Albuquerque Police Department. Investigators confirmed that the object was a human femur and began searching the surrounding desert. What initially appeared to be an isolated set of remains quickly developed into the largest homicide excavation in Albuquerque's history. Police officers, forensic anthropologists, medical investigators and federal agents searched approximately 92 acres of rough desert terrain. Over the following weeks, they uncovered multiple shallow graves containing the remains of eleven females and one unborn child.

The Victims and Their Disappearances

The exact dates on which the victims were killed have never been established. Because their bodies had remained in the desert for several years, investigators could generally determine only approximate periods of death. The dates below are therefore verified disappearance or last-known dates rather than confirmed dates of death. All eleven victims were killed before their remains were discovered near 118th Street SW in February 2009.

• Monica Diana Candelaria, 22: Monica disappeared from Albuquerque on or about May 15, 2003. Investigators believe she was killed sometime between 2003 and 2005. Her remains were buried in a shallow grave near 118th Street SW.
• Victoria Ann Chavez, 26: Victoria was last known to be alive in Albuquerque in June 2003, with June 5, 2003, frequently reported as her disappearance date. Authorities believe she was killed before or during 2005 and buried on the West Mesa.
• Syllannia Terene Edwards, 15: Syllannia was reported missing as an endangered runaway from Lawton, Oklahoma, in 2003. She was reportedly seen in May 2004 near East Colfax Avenue in Aurora, Colorado, where she may have stayed at the Ranger Motel and used the nicknames "Mimi" or "Chocolate." Investigators believe she was killed sometime between 2004 and 2005. She was the only confirmed victim known to have come from outside New Mexico.
• Doreen Marquez, 24: Doreen disappeared in Albuquerque during October 2003, with October 10 commonly listed as her last-known date. She is believed to have been killed sometime between 2003 and 2005 before being buried near 118th Street SW.
• Veronica Romero, 28: Veronica disappeared in Albuquerque in February 2004, with February 14 frequently reported as the date she vanished. Investigators determined that she was killed sometime between 2004 and 2005.
• Jamie Caterina Barela, 15: Jamie disappeared during the spring of 2004 after leaving a family gathering with her cousin, Evelyn Salazar. Some reports list March 26, 2004, while Albuquerque police records describe the disappearance as occurring in April 2004. The cousins reportedly intended to visit a park near San Mateo Boulevard and Gibson Boulevard SE. Neither returned. Jamie had no known involvement in prostitution or the drug activity associated with several of the other victims.
• Evelyn Jesus Maria Salazar, 27: Evelyn disappeared with her 15-year-old cousin, Jamie Barela, during the spring of 2004. March 26, 2004, is often reported as their disappearance date, although police summaries place the event in April. Evelyn and Jamie were last known to be traveling to a park in southeast Albuquerque. Both were killed and buried on the West Mesa.
• Virginia Cloven, 24: Virginia was reported missing from the Albuquerque area in 2004, with April 13 commonly given as her disappearance date. Investigators believe she was killed sometime between 2004 and 2005.
• Julie Cyndie Nieto, 24: Julie disappeared in Albuquerque during July 2004, with July 15 frequently listed as her last-known date. She was killed sometime between 2004 and 2005 and buried near the other victims.
• Cinnamon Elks, 32: Cinnamon disappeared during August 2004, with August 20 commonly reported as the date she vanished. She was the oldest of the eleven confirmed victims. Authorities believe she was killed sometime between 2004 and 2005.
• Michelle Gina Valdez, 22: Michelle disappeared in September 2004, with September 22 commonly listed as her disappearance date. She was approximately four months pregnant when she was killed. The skeletal remains of her unborn child were recovered with hers from the West Mesa burial area.

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Confirmed Victims: (11)

Jamie Barela Age: (15), Date of Death: 2004-03-26

West Mesa murders - Wikipedia