118th
Street Serial Killer--$100,000 Reward
 On
February 2, 2009, Christine Ross and her dog Ruca left their
home on Albuquerque's west side to go for a walk. Ruca found
a large bone protruding from the earthen trail.
Christine felt that the bone didn't look normal. She took a
picture of it and then sent a text message to her sister, a
registered nurse. A little while later, Christine's sister
contacted her and told her that the bone resembled a human
femur.
Christine immediately notified the Albuquerque Police
Department and it was quickly determined that the bone was
in fact human. During the ensuing weeks, detectives
uncovered the skeletal remains of 11 women and one unborn child, all
buried in makeshift graves.
Forensic
investigators
have now identified all 11 victims. Ten of the victims;
Monica Candelaria, Victoria Chavez,
Virginia Cloven, Syllannia Edwards,
Cinnamon
Elks, Doreen Marquez, Julie Nieto, Veronica Romero,
Evelyn Salazar,
and Michelle Valdez; all have a common link.
They have ties to both drugs and prostitution. The eleventh
victim, Jamie Barela, has no known involvement in these
particular activities.
Four of
the eleven victims were identified within the last three
months.
Using a sketch and dental records, the
Office of the Medical Investigator identified
Syllannia Edwards on November 13, 2009. Law
enforcement authorities in Lawton, Oklahoma had classified
her as an endangered runaway and reported her missing in
2003. In May of 2004, Edwards had been seen associating with
prostitutes on East Colfax Avenue in Aurora, Colorado. She
may have been staying at the Ranger Motel. Edwards was seen
in the company of three other women: Lucretia, Ty and
Diamond. She might have been using the nicknames "Mimi" or
"Chocolate." Edwards was 15 years old when last seen.
Using DNA evidence, forensic experts
at the University of North Texas identified the remains of Virginia Cloven and
Evelyn Salazar on November 17, 2009. Both women were
reported missing in 2004 and are from the Albuquerque area.
The eleventh victim, 15 year old,
Jamie Barela, was identified on January 26, 2010. She was
last seen leaving a family gathering with her cousin, Evelyn
Salazar, during the month of April 2004. Salazar had been
identified as victim of the serial killer approximately two
months earlier. Both young women were heading to a park near
San Mateo and Gibson in southeast Albuquerque when they
disappeared.
Detectives are currently looking for leads and would like to
know more about the victims. Investigators would
like to hear from women who may have been working the
streets of Albuquerque between 2001 and 2005, or anyone who
may have solicited the victims during that period of time.
For
more about this case visit
West Mesa Bone Collector at America's Most Wanted.
A reward
of up to $100,000 is being offered for information leading to
the arrest and conviction of the person or persons
responsible for this crime.
Anyone
with information concerning the victims and/or potential
suspects is asked to contact the 118th Street
Task Force at 1-877-765-8273 or Crime Stoppers at
(505) 843-STOP.
 |
Victim:
Jamie Barela |
| Suspect:
Unknown |
| Location:
118th Street SW, Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Synopsis:
Using DNA evidence, forensic experts were able to
identify 15 year old Jamie Barela as one of the victims of
the 118th Street serial killer. She was last seen
at a family gathering in April of 2004. Jamie and her
cousin; Evelyn Salazar, who is also a victim, had left the
gathering and went to a park near San Mateo and Gibson SE.
They were never seen again. Barela was
killed by an unknown person
who then buried her in a mesa located adjacent to 118th
Street SW in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Please call the 118th Street Task Force at
1-877-765-8273
or Crime Stoppers at (505) 843-STOP
with any information you may have
concerning this crime. |
|
