NM - West Mesa Murders (2003-05)

[Kat]

http://media.www.dailylobo.com/media/storage/paper344/news/2009/04/06/News/Mesa-Victims.Families.Urge.Wider.Search-3698412.shtml

06 APR 2009

APD spokeswoman Nadine Hamby said the department doesn't plan to wrap up the West Mesa investigation anytime soon.

There are 25 to 30 investigators at the site at all times looking for bones, Hamby said.

"There are just a ton of resources that are being utilized out there right now," she said. "Many of those bodies aren't intact. Just three days ago we found a toe bone, and that's the reason why we're not leaving that site. There are minor, little, tiny bone fragments, and we are still out there trying to recover those."

 

[Donjeta]

Quote from Kat's link above:

Lupe Lopez, a former deputy sheriff, said her sister, Beatrice Lopez Cubelos, went missing in 1989 after leaving a friend's apartment on Second Street. Cubelos said her sister could be buried out on the West Mesa. If her body is not recovered because it was buried away from the bones of the other bodies, then the APD will have conducted an incomplete search and investigation, Lopez said.

1989 seems too long ago to fit the timeline of this burial place but who knows, maybe there's another, older one. I can't find any info about her disappearance.

 

[Bud]

Quote from Kat's link above:



1989 seems too long ago to fit the timeline of this burial place but who knows, maybe there's another, older one. I can't find any info about her disappearance.

Agreed. Why is she bringing such an old case up in relation to this case? The timeline is WAY off.

An incomplete investigation if they don't search for her sister's bones (who disappeared in 1989) that are probably not even out on the West Mesa?

Perhaps, I missed something.

 

[Donjeta]

http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/...ore_families_grieve_mesa_victims_200904032318

This is not a new article but it says Veronica Romero went missing on Valentine's day.

http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/...ore_families_grieve_mesa_victims_200904032318

A man named "Isaac" was overheard saying he knew someone took the 22-year-old there after killing her, according to Candelaria.
...

Romero was friends with three of the four women previously identified from the mesa grave: Victoria Chavez, Cinnamon Elks and Michelle Valdez.

Interesting link between the victims.

 

[Bud]

http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/...ore_families_grieve_mesa_victims_200904032318

This is not a new article but it says Veronica Romero went missing on Valentine's day.

http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/...ore_families_grieve_mesa_victims_200904032318



Interesting link between the victims.

It seems they would have been familiar with one another from 'the street'. Did they have a pimp? Was it the guy who died... the one who had pics of prostitutes on his wall (if I recall correctly).

 

[Donjeta]

It seems they would have been familiar with one another from 'the street'. Did they have a pimp? Was it the guy who died... the one who had pics of prostitutes on his wall (if I recall correctly).

It would certainly make sense. But I have to say that I'd be very disappointed in the investigation of the cases if it turned out that four women who went missing within a year's time had the same pimp and nobody had connected the dots and hauled the guy in.

 

[Jesikah1]

Agreed. Why is she bringing such an old case up in relation to this case? The timeline is WAY off.

An incomplete investigation if they don't search for her sister's bones (who disappeared in 1989) that are probably not even out on the West Mesa?

Perhaps, I missed something.

I think that because she was former LE and perhaps has seen how these kinds of cases can be dismissed or not connected for many years mixed with the agony of not knowing for so long, has led her to cling on to the hope that the West Mesa holds the answers to her lost loved one. When you want something so badly, it often doesn't matter if time lines or likelihoods add up, that is why I believe she is so adamant. On the other hand, one of the suspects who has passed, was just out of high school around that time, so I guess it is not inconceivable that he could be responsible for disappearances in the late eighties, just less likely!

 

[Tonia]

Mesa graves excavation opened to media
Another bone fragment found

For the first time news cameras have been allowed inside what investigators call the largest crime scene in U.S. history: the dozen graves spread across a construction site in southwest Albuquerque.

On Thursday news cameras went behind the yellow tape while the crew from “America's Most Wanted” shot video for an upcoming show dedicated to the case.

The search for remains began early in February and still continues. In the last 24 hours another bone fragment was discovered and is believed to be from one of the known sets of remains.

Investigators so far have identified six of the victims as women reported missing in Albuquerque in 2004. They shared troubled pasts that included drugs and prostitution, and several on a list police had complied of 16 women who vanished in the city between 2001 and 2006.

The seventh victim was the unborn fetus of one of the women, and the other five have yet to be identified.

One of the men, a pimp who died of natural causes, had photographs of some of the missing women. The other man had killed a prostitute at his home and was carrying the body to his car when he was shot and killed by her pimp.

And while medical investigators have identified seven of the dozen victims, they have not released any causes of death.

http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/crime_krqe_albuquerque_mesa_graves_excavation_opened_to_media_200904161756

 

[Kat]

Father of mesa victim brings families together

04/17/2009 10:43 PM

The father of the pregnant woman found buried on the West Mesa has been busy creating a support network for families of victims' found at the dig site.

Video of news coverage of Mr. Valdez's work to the top right of article.

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S885204.shtml?cat=516

 

[Kat]

Details about the seach for the victims and how it was conducted. (Video to the right of the article gives us an idea how intensive this search was...)

Police Reveal Dig Site Details

UPDATED: 6:43 pm MDT April 16, 2009

Feist said officers moved about four feet of dirt from the area. He said it was a very tedious process because tractors moved only about three inches of dirt at a time.

"So it took a long time," Feist said. "When you're moving acres and acres and acres, three inches at a time to the depth of four feet, that's why it took so long."

More at link.

 

[tfrohning]

Father of mesa victim brings families together

04/17/2009 10:43 PM



Video of news coverage of Mr. Valdez's work to the top right of article.

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S885204.shtml?cat=516

Thanks for this video, I seem the case many time but never stop to look at or read up on it, for some reason I thought it had more to do mexico drugs cardel, I did not think it was serial killer, I will now look for updates.

 

[Kat]

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S890422.shtml?cat=504

Updated at: 04/21/2009 5:14 PM

Police ID seventh set of West Mesa remains

Albuquerque police have identified a seventh person whose remains were unearthed from a makeshift burial ground on Albuquerque’s Southwest Mesa as Doreen Marquez.

Marquez was 27-years-old the last time she was seen alive in October 2003.

 

[Kat]

http://projectjason.org/18wheel/18WheelAngel_DoreenMarquez.pdf

Missing 10 OCT 2003 : that day fell on a Friday.

 

[Kat]

Bump list of the Victims Identified and dates missing:


Monica Diana Candelaria, May 11, 2003 - Sunday

Victoria Ann Chavez, June 5, 2003. - Thursday

Doreen Marquez, October 10, 2003 - Friday

Veronica Romero, Feb. 15, 2004, Sunday

Julie Neito, July 15, 2004 - Thursday

Cinnamon Elks, August 20, 2004. - Friday

Michelle Gina Valdez, September 22, 2004. - Wednesday



Listed in Order of disappearance.

(special thanks to Donjeta and TxBecca for their help with this list)

ETA: changed day of week for Doreen, thanks Donjeta!

 

[Kat]

One more thought~ 7 are identified and 4 are not.

The victims identified fall within 2003-2004 date of disappearance. On the list Fran provided for us in post # 189. There are 3 woman on the list that are still missing from 2004.

1. Virgina Cloven
2. Evelyn Salazar
3. Jamie Barela

Just some thoughts, it no way indicates the unidentified may be these women.

 

[Donjeta]

Thanks Kat. It seems like a tight timeline. I hope the rest of them get their ID's soon, their families have already waited far too long.

Could you edit your list since I think October 10 2003 was a Friday like you wrote above and not Sunday?

 

[Odyssey]

Hi there,

I have been tracking this case a bit too, and wanted to point out there may be some discrepancies in the timelines. I went digging through criminal records, which can be found here http://www.metrocourt.state.nm.us/xnet/ (and then click on 'case lookup') and here are some of my findings:

Virginia Cloven listed as missing since 4/13/2004, yet on 7/20/04 she was in court filing a motion to dismiss some charges against her.

Cinnamon Elks listed as missing since 8/20/2004, she pled guilty to charges on 8/12/04 and was sentenced to 180 days.

Anselma Guerra seems to be missing from the Charley Project website today - I just noticed this when I went to find her missing date, she was listed yesterday. I wonder if she has been identified?

Felipa Gonzales is listed as missing in 2005 with no date specified. She was arrested for shoplifting on April 30 2005 so it had to be later than that.

Anna Vigil missing since 1/21/2005, she was arrested on 1/19/2005 for prostitution (two days before she went missing?)

Shawntell Waites is just listed as missing in 2006. She was arrested on 2/25/2006 so it would be later than that.

Darlene Trujillo missing since 7/4/2001. She pled guilty to a violation and a failure to appear on 4/5/2002.

I kept going over and over all these girls and their missing dates and their court dates, arrest dates, etc... and I have that weird feeling like there is something odd with the dates but I'm just not picking up on it.

 

[Donjeta]

Good find, Odyssey.

I suppose some of the reported missing dates on various sites might be mistakes or the time that a family member saw her the last time, although the woman has been alive and well after that. It's possible that they didn't tell their families that they had to go to jail. But one would think that LE would pick up on the fact that a missing person crops up in court after they've been reported missing. Would LE inform someone who reports a family member missing if they know that she's in jail?

Very strange.

 

[Bud]

Hi there,

I have been tracking this case a bit too, and wanted to point out there may be some discrepancies in the timelines. I went digging through criminal records, which can be found here http://www.metrocourt.state.nm.us/xnet/ (and then click on 'case lookup') and here are some of my findings:

Virginia Cloven listed as missing since 4/13/2004, yet on 7/20/04 she was in court filing a motion to dismiss some charges against her.

Cinnamon Elks listed as missing since 8/20/2004, she pled guilty to charges on 8/12/04 and was sentenced to 180 days.

Anselma Guerra seems to be missing from the Charley Project website today - I just noticed this when I went to find her missing date, she was listed yesterday. I wonder if she has been identified?

Felipa Gonzales is listed as missing in 2005 with no date specified. She was arrested for shoplifting on April 30 2005 so it had to be later than that.

Anna Vigil missing since 1/21/2005, she was arrested on 1/19/2005 for prostitution (two days before she went missing?)

Shawntell Waites is just listed as missing in 2006. She was arrested on 2/25/2006 so it would be later than that.

Darlene Trujillo missing since 7/4/2001. She pled guilty to a violation and a failure to appear on 4/5/2002.

I kept going over and over all these girls and their missing dates and their court dates, arrest dates, etc... and I have that weird feeling like there is something odd with the dates but I'm just not picking up on it.

Great information!

With regard to your comment about Anselma Guerra... read this links:
http://charleyross.wordpress.com/2009/04/22/anselma-guerra-found-not-on-the-mesa/
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publishe...4&topicId=100020825&docId=l:954449997&start=9

 

[Kat]

Hi there,

I have been tracking this case a bit too, and wanted to point out there may be some discrepancies in the timelines. I went digging through criminal records, which can be found here http://www.metrocourt.state.nm.us/xnet/ (and then click on 'case lookup') and here are some of my findings:

Virginia Cloven listed as missing since 4/13/2004, yet on 7/20/04 she was in court filing a motion to dismiss some charges against her.

Cinnamon Elks listed as missing since 8/20/2004, she pled guilty to charges on 8/12/04 and was sentenced to 180 days.

Anselma Guerra seems to be missing from the Charley Project website today - I just noticed this when I went to find her missing date, she was listed yesterday. I wonder if she has been identified?

Felipa Gonzales is listed as missing in 2005 with no date specified. She was arrested for shoplifting on April 30 2005 so it had to be later than that.

Anna Vigil missing since 1/21/2005, she was arrested on 1/19/2005 for prostitution (two days before she went missing?)

Shawntell Waites is just listed as missing in 2006. She was arrested on 2/25/2006 so it would be later than that.

Darlene Trujillo missing since 7/4/2001. She pled guilty to a violation and a failure to appear on 4/5/2002.

I kept going over and over all these girls and their missing dates and their court dates, arrest dates, etc... and I have that weird feeling like there is something odd with the dates but I'm just not picking up on it.

Ty very much Odessey! Excellent first post and welcome to websleuths! Your input is greatly appreciated