Cinnamon Elks:
According to Cinnamon Elk's mother, Diana Wilhelm, Cinnamon was a near perfect child. When Cinnamon entered her teen years, she began to change, and that's when she began to get into trouble.
Cinnamon became addicted to alcohol and drugs and eventually had a rap sheet "as long as her arm", according to Diana. To support her drug habit Cinnamon stole checks and forged Diana's name on them. Eventually Cinnamon turned to prostitution to earn money she needed for drugs. Because of her dependency on drugs, Cinnamon missed out on raising her own two children.
Cinnamon would frequently run off and be gone for long stretches at a time. She would, however, return with the intent to get clean and start a new life.
According to Diana, Cinnamon once took off to El Paso, Texas with some other people. Diana says she is unsure of the reason for the trip to Texas, but suspects they were meeting with Mexican cartel that did business in Albuquerque. Diana, now feels that Cinnamon may have knew too much and for that reason she was killed.
During the many times she was gone, Cinnamon would always remember to call Diana on her birthday. On Diana's birthday in 2004, however, that call didn't come.
Diana says that Cinnamon had been staying with Art Johnson, aka Bennet in Albuquerque before she vanished. Johnson, who Diana describes as "weird" was the one who called Diana and told her that he was worried because Cinnamon was missing. Diana said that Johnson claimed that he and Cinnamon were roomates but she mainly just used his place to keep her clothes at. They reportedly were not a couple. Johnson lived 13 miles from the Central Avenue location where many of the victims frequented.
Cinnamon was 31 years old when she went missing. A missing persons report was filed in December 15, 2004.
Diana claims that WMBC victim Virginia Cloven called her and told her that both Cinnamon and Michelle Valdez had been murdered. According to Diana, friends of Cinnamon reported that Cinnamon was telling people that a "dirty cop" was chopping off the heads of prostitutes and dumping them on the West Mesa.
Diana claims to have received calls from several people telling her that Cinnamon was beheaded.
It is interesting to note that according to the Albuquerque journal, Michelle Valdez's sister was called by the Aunt (who frequented the streets) of an acquaintance had heard a rumor that Michelle and Cinnamon had been stabbed and discarded on the West Mesa.
It is important to note that according to the autopsy reports on both Cinnamon and Michelle, "no injuries that might explain her death were found". A beheading would explain death, no? So they weren't beheaded? It is reported that APD is keeping manner of death or anything that would point to manner of death close to their vests.
Diana claims she reported the phone calls about Cinnamon's murder to APD, but her phone calls were never returned.
