Colorado Department of Corrections/Facebook Paige Birgfeld and Lester Jones. that's why we're staying with homicidal violence. tw >> reporter: the toll of michelle's addiction on her t younger sister camille is also evident in dan's videos.il as camille becomes a teenager, she no longer seems to want to acknowledge michelle or even have her around. though she's not on the street as much these days, she is still busy working missing persons cases. >> even though you knew -- >> even though i knew that it could be going for drugs. they deal with all kinds. what if the west mesa grave digger was a prolific transient? >> if those houses had been built, they would have been built right on top of that graveyard. Ross wasn't sure the bone was human, but knew it could be. lending tree made lenders compete for my business and i ended up with a loan that saved me over $9000 and no more credit card debt. not at all. The unsolved case received a lot of attention after that. Although Montoya fit the description, the West Mesa serial killer remains unidentified. Or contact APD at 1-877-765-8273 or (505) 768-2450. read more 'd, and it was her, and they found, you know, she was pregnant. >> the response was amazing. aleve. Wozniak was deeply in debt and wanted money to finance his upcoming wedding and honeymoon. Paige Birgfeld: Missing Mother Living a Double Life Was Kidnapped & Murdered. Tonight's Dateline http://datl.in/fSpdzC, Anyone with information on the West Mesa murders is urged to contact (505)-768-2450 or. >> yes. Her daughter had found womens clothing and jewelry in their home, with some families later revealing that the victims jewelry was missing. but because doctors caught the cancer early, ida required neither chemo nor radiation therapy. but ever since her early days in uniformed patrol, ida lopez has called them her girls. >> were all the victims killed the same way? Julie Gonzales, the sister of murder victim Doreen Marquez, told KRQE the . no fingerprints. Almost no media coverage and the killer was never caught. >> she was a college student found on a lonely road in texas. you know, maybe we ought to run that list. >> the reality, it was kind of, like this is not happening. You can also watch Dateline Mystery on demand at Apple TV. >> yeah. it's been nine years since that summer night when ida lopez first took to the streets of albuquerque's war zone alone, searching for a couple of missing women. they use stamps.com all the services of the post office only cheaper get a 4-week trial plus postage and a digital scale go to stamps.com/tv and never go to the post office again. they were able to get me a booking photograph of what syllania looked like around the time that she died, we believe. >> reporter: and so she learned, about the lives of the women on the street. but guess what? >> reporter: as you will soon see, timing, both perfect and not so perfect, will play a critical part in the story we're about to show you. that's all we really wanted, just to flash her picture real quick. After neighbors complained of flooding at the platted site (due to the burial of the natural arroyo), the developer built a retaining wall to channel storm water to a retention pond built in the approximate area of the burial site, inadvertently exposing bones to the surface. before discovering nexium 24hr to treat her frequent heartburn, marie could only imagine enjoying freshly squeezed orange juice. Albuquerque detective Ida Lopez took it upon herself to uncover the story behind the remains of 11 women and an unborn fetus, which were discovered over 13 years ago, buried in shallow graves in a West Mesa desert. Many had gone into sex work or had run away from home years before they died. According to the Albuquerque Police Department, something didn't sit right with Christine Ross when her dog Ruca found a bone on their walk in the West Mesa. Between 2002 and 2005, a serial killer who became known as the West Mesa Bone Collector murdered and buried 11 women in the outskirts of Albuquerque, New Mexico. >> reporter: the families of the 18 women now on ida's list prayed for happy endings like that one. When her boyfriend arrived, he shot and killed Montoya. >> he may be waiting to start doing the same thing again. Since 2009, families of some victims have stressed publicly that the women and girls were loved. She released her statement through Young Women United, a nonprofit where she helps with programs geared toward assisting women in need. and we got a list of names. >> several of these victims were missing for months before anyone reported them missing. Not the clients. In a major plot twist, as they were about to be married, one had something to confess and the other dealt with the fallout. she said, well, dad, i'm going to run. Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. t and so that gave me an empathy for them on that part, and i thought, wow, this has got to be powerful. That way if women started disappearing again, there might be more advocates who notice and help in raising concerns, Barber said. A prostitute named Christine said the same year that other prostitutes in that area had become more conscious about watching out . >> reporter: some of the women had been missing for so long that ida started comparing notes with a detective in the department's cold case unit. apoquel is for the control of itch associated with allergic dermatitis and the control of atopic dermatitis in dogs. nine. There hasnt been the degree of public fear and alarm that you might expect. >> okay. In February 2009, her body was identified. "Dateline NBC" is the longest-running series in NBC primetime history and is in its 31st season. bring in your own phone, switch to xfinity mobile and save hundreds of dollars a year. Skip to main content Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. [12] Michelle Valdez was four months pregnant at the time of her death.[13]. a restless night's sleep. you're lying to me. >> this particular individual made sure that he went back each and every time when he was going to dispose of a body and disposed of it in the same area where the other women were. jane doe number 8 had been four months pregnant at the time of her death. and i thought, well, i'll write it and we'll see what happens. everyone? >> correct. 2015. oh right. easy. soon could be months. for police that seemed like a good place to start their search for the killer. >> reporter: lorenzo montoya, a short, powerfully built man in his 30s who was known to have an, equally short temper and a taste for prostitutes. >> and i said, well, let's gather these families together and let's get to know them. For current Fan Club membership options and policies, please . we had them in the air. then four. According to the Albuquerque Journal, it all began when a woman out for a walk with her dog in a part of the city known as the West Mesa made a grisly discovery in February 2009. she struggled to hold it all together. dr. scholl's. Police had also received a report of domestic violence from Montoya's girlfriend, who claimed he beat her and did "gross things" to her that she didn't want to elaborate on in the report. a thigh bone had been found out on albuquerque's west mesa. with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis, you feel like you're itching all the time. tired of seeing him hurt. >> there used to be a motel here. The 11th, meanwhile, was 15-year-old Jamie Barela. so that was represented in the sketch. their customers. nexgard. Why was the vehicle that took the bodies, as it did not appear the victims were murdered, killed, or executed on site, to the Burial Grounds never noticed? every morning the sunrises over the sandia mountains east of albuquerque and begins baking one of the most celebrated stretches of asphalt in the united states -- historic route 66, the highway famous for carrying dust bowl refugees and beat generation oddballs west to california. >> reporter: those were long nights, filled with bittersweet memories of michelle the way she used to be, before the drugs took over. Albuquerqueans dont relate to the victims. [9][14] Police would not say how or where they had obtained the photos. in a blanket, and was preparing to dump her in the trunk of his car when the woman's boyfriend showed up. >> where was i the night before? >> that really sends a chill up and down your spine. Meet Detective Ida Lopez, bringing justice to missing women & their families. i don't have a normal, you know, regular address. >> reporter: mostly she just watched it grow. >> how'd she look? >> all the stars aligned. >> on the surface seems like a pretty good suspect. so help heal your skin from within, with dupixent. One day later, Hemraj's partially decomposed body was found in the terrace of the same home. you know, we could chase them out, but for me there was always a story to them. eventually, ida and the cold case detective were able to persuade the department to let them form an unofficial task force, where once a month they met with other agencies, including the fbi. In 2007, before the harrowing discovery, the detective reportedly claimed that she had a file of more than 17 women, whom she referred to as "her girls," with similar backgrounds of addiction or prostitution who went missing between 2001 and 2006 from the Albuquerque streets. it's unlikely that any of the balloonists who float out over the west mesa area spend much time studying the details of the sandy desert floor below. with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis, you feel like you're itching all the time. Dateline is the long-running, award-winning news magazine bringing viewers stories ranging from compelling mysteries to powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. At first, it was like any other Monday night, but Feb. 2, 2009, would stick with Christine Ross forever. The investigation led the detective to discover at least 17 more similar cases of missing women, whom she referred to as "her girls.". was it all hot air, or did someone with knowledge of the murders mix a kernel of truth into those rumors? So she took a picture of it and texted her sister. and the editor didn't say a whole lot. >> no.n' not at all. >> reporter: it was intended to be a low-key search of the man's home and offices. the next time anyone heard anything about syllania, she was here in this makeshift grave site outside albuquerque, sharing it with ten other women she never knew in life but will be forever linked with in death. Ida Lopez was unable to solve the case she was so closely attached to before her retirement and relocation in 2014. do you need anything? never heard of her before. She said that people should not lose hope, that there is no statute of limitations on crimes like these, and that the police will work the West Mesa Murders until the case is solved. that christmas angelica opened her presents alone, with no sign of her mother michelle. Wikimedia CommonsDowntown Albuquerque as seen from the West Mesa. >> you know, i just didn't know. >> reporter: then came seven. that the chin was specific for me. >> reporter: and it's not just there for inspiration. but two years later, in 2004, when most of the women on detective ida lopez's list were disappearing, the images show tire tracks leading from this road to a few bare spots in the vegetation. start with supporting your gut health. i wasn't done. serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, a severe reaction. tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems, including eye pain or changes in vision. nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for all-day, all-night protection. where did she come from? -it's kind of like driving with his dad. West Mesa Murders satellite photos show the undeveloped land where the victims were discovered. Within a year, they had identified all of the 11 victims, which ranged in age from 15 to 32. the first words out of this girl's mouth was that he was trying to kill her. >> reporter: surgeons also removed ida's adrenal gland because it too had a mass on ite. and all with the same name. Produced, reported and maintained by Journal staff member. maybe he knew where the money was going to go. In 1999, a sex worker named Cynthia Vigil Jaramillo was kidnapped and imprisoned in a city south of Albuquerque by a man named David Parker Ray, aka the "Toy-Box Killer." Satellite imagery taken between 2003 and 2005 shows tire marks and patches of disturbed soils in the area where the remains were recovered. >> it's kind of eerie looking at those satellite photos. the hardest part of this whole thing is having to go to somebody's house and say we. >> it was a problem. The former fiance of a California theater actor who murdered an Afghanistan War veteran and his friend in 2010 was convicted Wednesday of lying to police in an attempt to protect him from. It's awful what happened to them," Myra Salazar, the mother of 27-year-old victim Evelyn Salazar, said in a statement. >> he's in the area where the prostitutes frequent. all of her other victims were local. >> no. >> mommy's not a grownup anymore -- i mean, a teenager anymore. too many people in pain settle for. >> reporter: syllania edwards was released from that denver-area jail in july 2004, the same year almost all the other west mesa women had gone missing. >> reporter: by now the street alongside the desert crime scene was a media encampment, where reporters were predictably live at 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00. sometimes reporting details that crime scene commander paul feist preferred to keep secret. >> this is michelle. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. and one of the things that those girls all had in common was that they were all attractive and blond and white and didn't have any criminal record. Photos, information and videos from Dateline here. If you have any information about the West Mesa murders, or about other missing women related to this case, Albuquerque Police have a dedicated hotline. >> the only body that has been identified so far, victoria chavez. him. don't lie to me." Only one signficant discovery was made along the way, which is that they were all murdered. no dna. Her organization recently gathered the notes from the women it meets with weekly. >> reporter: whether in costume for a school play, dressed up for her first communion, or showing a budding interest in boys. >> we really can't say why. A&E reported how the group burial had all the hallmarks of a serial killer's actions.According to the Associated Press, February 2, 2022, marked the 13th . it took years. >> when was the last time you saw her? and now on the cusp of young adulthood michelle looked gaunt. and she wanted to be able to provide them with some answers. and in spite of their example, they can't quit the life. After more than five years of court proceedings, Wozniak went to trial and was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder. The 11 victims whose remains were discovered at the West Mesa site in 2009. >> reporter: it was that kind of gut reaction that led detectives to joplin, missouri in august of 2010. The serial murders of 11 women in the West Mesa area of Albuquerque will be featured in a two-hour edition of NBC's Dateline tonight. >> reporter: dan may have had. [ soft piano music playing ] mm, uh, what do you do for fun? after months of digging for bones in the desert west of albuquerque, detectives desperately wanted to get on with the work of catching a killer. [4] Blea, in the Mid-School rape case, was sentenced to 36 years in June 2015, at 58 years of age. bones started to get names. There are also photos of possible missing women that are connected to the case. Detectives were left with the fact that serial killers move with ease, often vanishing long before their victims are ever found. and i kind of was wobbling a little bit, and ida consoled me a little bit and said it's okay, you know, it's okay. ida knew the odds of finding any of the missing women alive were not good. and thoughts of rare moments together before she went missing. Case 27: The West Mesa Bone Collector.