E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSJosh Mankiewicz reports on the mystery behind the West Mesa Murders— a story that made national headlines after the remains of 11 female bodies were found in a desert graveyard outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2009. Airing Friday, December 10th at 9pm/ 8c, the story of this unsolved case has investigators racing against time to find the killer, leading them to search for clues in Albuquerque's "war zone," where drugs and prostitution create a breeding ground for danger and even death.
Told through the eyes of the city's missing persons detective Ida Lopez, viewers watch as the clues unfold in a story that has captured the attention of media across the country but has yet to lead to an arrest. With the killer still potentially at large, Lopez is intent to see that these women, most of whom were prostitutes and whose disappearance went largely unnoticed for years, get a fair shot at justice. "I have to keep believing that we'll find an answer soon. Soon could be months, could be years. But I have to keep believing that today could be the day. Today could be the day," she says.
Watch a special update from Josh Mankiewicz out in the deserts of New Mexico:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Leave a Comment:
Somebody needs to speak up for Michelle. At the age of 13 she did not make a "mistake" and become pregnant. She was raped! I am willing to bet it was not by a 13 year old boy. Why wasn't this investigated, the man who impregnated her prosecuted and Michelle treated as a victim/survivor of rape? She should have been in intense therapy. Her father Dan can shrug it off and say he couldn't watch her every minute, but a 13 year old girl needs close supervision. Who was taking care of his girls while he was playing in his band nights and weekends? Becoming a mother at age 14 was too much responsibility. In my opinion the sexual abuse followed by this huge responsibility is what led to her drug abuse and into the life that resulted in her death.
I had some of the same thoughts go through my mind while watching the program. I am an incest survivor and Michelle showed the signs of sexual abuse. I would also like to know why her father had coustody of her and her sister. Where was their mother in all this? I also kept watching for tears, when his eyes watered up, never saw any. I am still trying to understand his reasoning in giving her money, even when he knew she would buy more drugs. For everything he said, he had an excuse. Did anyone see Michelle alive after he dropped her off at a friends house the last time he claims he saw her? Too many questions and the program did not give me enough answers.
@ pinkie hews--He gave her money knowing she was going to spend it on drugs.Do you have kids? I took it he thought maybe she was to far gone to get help although it did mention he tried on several occaions to get her into rehab and she would not go.So as a a way of seeing his daughter that was his last resort.I think when you have that much love for your child you will do what ever it takes to see your child and get the ok there still alive.He really did try!!I also think you need to re-watch this father was deeply saddened with his daughters death as well as the others.I belive dont speak on anothers emotions until your in there shoes.And not all emotions are going to meet your standards!People grieve if several ways.He has relaized his daughter is gone and has taken it very well i belive.
I am so happy to know I'm not the only person who is convinced that Michelle was sexually abused or raped; a 13 YO cannot give consent. Period. Her father should have called the police when she got pregnant and should have never of forced her or tried to convince her that having a baby at 14 was an acceptable outcome to that situation. The first time I saw this show I was furious! It still angers me. Sexual activity at her age is usually the result of sexual abuse. It broke my heart to see her with that baby. Especially when her daughter said at her birthday party, “You’re not a teenager anymore,” and she said, “I never was.” No wonder she turned to drugs. Such a tragedy.
I just want to comment on the determination, dedication and utmost respect Det. Ida Lopez has for these poor victims. As a recovering addict myself, the struggle is very had...these women felt no way out of their addiction and then to end up like they did is heart-wrenching...God Bless you Det. Lopez and the rest of your team...and my you find this individual that harmed these women and forever changed their families lives...may the Lord guide you....
I agree that Michelle was a victim in many more ways than we can imagine. When I saw the "video" of her birthday when she said she never was a teen ager, it broke my heart. I could hear the pain and dispair in her voice. How sad that she was so overwhelmed at such a young age when most of us are playing with dolls, she was doing the "real" thing. It is no wonder she turned to drugs for escape and a way of capturing what she thought she had lost. When det. Lopez spoke about these girls souls and how important each soul is, I cried. My daughter is a recovering addict who was raised in a Christian,anglo-american home with all the love and benefits we could give. Drug addiction, like cancer knows no boundaries,does not discriminate. My prayers go out to the det. and her staff. Keep up the good work, you are a true blessing to your profession and to the people in New Mexico.
I am not sure if this is any sort of tip or help of any kind, but watching the dateline story tonight I could not help but notice the similarites to another case I have heard about. Living in Louisiana, there has been a story circulating that there was a serial killer killing women in Jennings, LA. The similarties are spooky. 8 women murdered in total, all living high-risk drug/sex lifestyles, all went missing, all young women between early 30's to younger, all found nude or partly clothed, and all found in the same general locations. This is information that I have gathered from news/internet sources. The murders started in 2005, one year after the girls went missing in the West Mesa case. I know that the FBI has been working on both cases. I am sure that the similarities have been brought forth before, but I figured get the word out in case it hasnt. Thank you for you time, and I truly hope for the families sake that all of the murders in both cases are solved.
I did not realize this was a 2 hour show. We had to go out and I taped what I thought was the last 15 minutes. After watching that portion I realized we missed the last hour. Can I see it on-line?
We also tried to view online and could only see the first four segments. Any help would be apprciated
The full two-hour episode is available on-line at dateline.msnbc.com.
I couldn't help think that the person who committed these horrible crimes was connected to the company that was constructing the new development. Maybe came in from another part of the state or country. Perhaps you guys looked into this but it seemed like a possibility. You did a good job telling the story and now to find this psychopath...I hope you find him. Oh, another thought was that he was a balloonist and was there that summer with the ballooning people.
Stella my husband thought the same thing. Is it possible it was a construction worker that knew they would not be building there? I hope and pray that the person responsible for this is caught and brought to justice. The families of these women need peace.
My heart goes out to these familes.Im from Albuquerque and have have been following this story and realized im not far from this site.It troubles me so much,how can a person do this type of act. I pray someone,anyone can find this demond and give these familys the justice they deserve.Its great to see this case open and in the public after several years of an ongoing investigation.keep up the good work!Espically to Ms. Ida Lopez who has shown how driven she is to discover and solve this mystrey.The world needs more people like her who deeply care and realize no matter what you choose did or your life style you are still a person,mother,sister,daugher.God bless all of the 11 women found and may you rest in peace.
First i just want to say that i think that Detective Ida is an angel and she has such a big heart. I heard the story and immediately i was captivated. i did some research and found a story in Ciudad Juarex Mexico 18 young women have disappeared in 14 months. they are all young slender females. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101479041 that is the link to the article. maybe the suspect ran down there. that has been happening basically since the missing women were found in the mesa. i wish so much there is more i could do. my prayers are with the police and the families of the victims.
well dateline & nbc have done it again. having lived in ABQ for 7 years i watched with interest. i thought it was very well done until the last five minutes whe they allowed the local slack jawed, sleepy eyed, slurred speech reporter to ask the question "if they had been white girls yadda yadda etc etc would this have come to the attention blah blah blah"
given the fact that he knew full well that that was a totally bogus question, with absolutely no merit i am surprised they looked the other way & let him ask that question. well not really.
he knows that newspapers simply do not plaster pictures across their pages every time a 16 year old tells them someone is missing. right ? thats just the way it works. HE KNOWS IT ! yet he took the opportunity to throw out the race thing & i think that is disgusting given the awful circumstances of this case.
98% of the people involved in every aspect of this case were HISPANIC for christ sakes. from the media to the police.
this was socio-economic period. just like the green river case & all the others like it.
now i know why i dont watch these stations anymore. now i know why i am glad to get out of that part of the world. and no i am not lilly white, MY RACE IS heinz 57 AMERICAN.
Josh M. looked like he had too many martinis or a few prescription bills on board. His eyes were droopy and his speech was often kinda slurred. That said, what a MF for asking if these girls had been blonde and white and not had a criminal record would it have been looked into more quickly. What a racist PIG! There are MANY, MANY white prostitutes with criminal records that go missing all the time. Many have fallen fodder to the serial killer and no one looked. It's the nature of the beast - apples and oranges. A white, criminal prostitute will get less coverage than a white college student without a criminal record when she disappears from her barista job - because disappearing isn't a habit, because SHE GETS REPORTED MISSING WITH IN 12 hours or less. Josh M. is a racist baiting tard who needs to kick his drug habit. This question he asked TWICE angered me. Many white women go missing and it's not front page news. Sicko felt the need to throw in 'blonde' and 'pretty.'
He's the media, why didn't he jump on this sooner? Alq. NM is majority hispanic controlling the news both print and media, the police department ect. He basically asked Ida Lopez (couldn't respect this woman more is she were my own mother - she's seems beyond reproach) if she would have worked harder for a pretty, blonde, white girl. What an A-hole this loser is. I'm so freaking angry. I'd like to spit on him. I couldn't be more sick of the race card always being tossed in my face. Get over it!
THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IT DID TO ME TOO. he knew the all the particulars behind this case & there was absolutely no need or reason to ask the question. to me it was a self satisfying opportunistic move on his part & completely out of line. i am having a hard time understanding why it made the final cut. that stinks too !
ginamero and crad: I actually did an entire Dateline story about this exact issue a few years ago. The truth is that missing children from the right part of town always get more attention from law enforcement than those who aren't. I don't think that's right--maybe you do-- but that's clearly the case all across the country. I wouldn't have been doing my job if I didn't ask that question and Chief Schulz answered it honestly and, I thought, correctly: that it's hard to tell when a person who doesn't want to see their family regularly goes missing. There's nothing racist about asking that.
Mr Mankiewwicz,
If these women were white and blond hair should we assume Ida would not have done her job? Soooooooo you are saying white, blond hair, and drug addicted girls that walk the streets get more police attention if they were to vanish? Let's at least put them in the same category. Not ALL white,blond hair girls come from the "right part of town." Maybe you should have asked , had he been wealthy, would law enforcement have been more active?
I too feel YOU were out of line. Yes, your remark was racist. It goes BOTH WAYS. Your racist remark made a 2 hr. show turn into a 20 min. show for me. At least, I knew your agenda from the get go.
Certainly GLAD I did not waste my viewing time watching a journalist who is perplexed why cases involving drugged up, criminal prostitutes, might be handled differently then a dependable young adult that shows up missing from work or home.
You were NOT doing your job by asking the right question. YOU certainly implied that "color" was the reason these cases were not "handled in a different manner" and that is racist. White skinned and BLOND hair are description of COLORS. NOT a question about a family member who is seen regularly nor about being on the "right side of town."
Catherine, I'm not sure where you're going with this, and you don't seem to grasp the meaning of what racism is. I didn't imply anything; I asked if the cases would have been handled differently if the victims had been different, and clearly they might have been. I think the chief's answer --that some people don't want to be found or check in with their families, regardless of their race or economic status-- made that clear. If you'll recall, Detective Ida Lopez belief that "everybody counts" in terms of how hard police work on a case is the theme I returned to several times in the broadcast. Clearly, we'd all be kidding ourselves to pretend that the ethnicity and social standing of the victims in this case isn't worth asking about, and I think it''s greatly to the credit of the Albuquerque Police Department that they have committed to this case they way they have.
All I can say is WOW. Really, ginamero & crad? You actually think JM 'took' it there by asking if there would be a different outcome if the victims would've been white and pretty? I know first hand that it's true. And it's sad that it still happens in the 21st century, in the Melting Pot country that is known for giving non-natives a chance at a life that is taken away in their home country. Â So I'm glad JM 'took' it there and asked the questions other people like you want to pretend are outrageous. I'm not saying "Don't blast the white victims all over the news" I'm just saying "Don't make us dig for the ones that are not". Â It's not their fault they weren't born with blonde hair and light colored eyes. Â
This story touched me personally having watched my oldest sister , and her daughter struggle
with drug addiction. The hardest isn't always knowing where they are and Praying for them to be safe in
a world of Drugs. I'm sadden of the outcome of this story and feel for the families of these girls. I
hope the person responsible for these crimes is caught and pays for destroying these families life's.
I am very glad that Michelle's father never gave up looking for his daughter. Detective Lopez,
Albuquerque Police Department, and other agencies that worked together to solve this case and bring
closure to the families. I hope all that see this touching story realize that these girls are someones
Daughter, Sister or Mother !
This is the first I'd heard that one of the girls was from Lawton, Oklahoma. I grew up very close to Lawton, but I have lived in Albuquerque since 2005. It just gave me a strange, eery feeling. It's frightening enough that those girls were buried less than a 5 miles from where I live now, but to know that one of them grew up very near me in Oklahoma sent chills down my spine. It takes the saying 'close to home' to a whole other level.
I'm not a religious person, but I believe in the power of positive thought, and this evening I am sending every bit of mine to the families of those lost. I hope you find some level of peace, that your hearts someday feel a bit lighter, and finally, that you WILL find justice.
As many have already said, you are an absolute angel, Detective Lopez, but I want to express my sincere appreciation for ALL of those involved in this case. I wish you the best of luck in solving the case of these victims and finding those still missing.
I have been following this story since I watching Somebody's Daughter and I found something of interest while reading the news on Google and it reminded me of this case.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6BD6JO20101214
Thanks, Roxanna. You never know when cases like this one in NY may have something to do another case somewhere else. Or they may be completely unrelated. Sadly, there are a lot of killings like this one in different states, and detectives in Albuquerque have already visited several other states to see if the similarities are more than just a coincidence.
It certainly sounds like the killer Joel Courtney, charged in the Oregon abduction, rape & murder of missing college student Brooke Wilberger in Oregon is also the killer of the mass murders in New Mexico which mysteriously stopped in 2005 and have never been solved. He lived in New Mexico during the time of the mass murders which mysteriously stopped at the same time he was imprisoned for Brooke's murder. Is everyone else already saying this?
Looking at the picture of his young daughter at 12, looking at the top of her game... then depressed and worn by 20. It looked like a possible incest case ..Physical or emotional...young girl assumes role of female head of house,.becoming sexual at a young age. And it occurred to me that the first person I would want to look closely at for these spree murders is the father. He seems to influence quiet control over everyone around him: daughters, investigators, other families. He could have easily started the rumor of bodies in the mesa. He could be seen with girls in thewarzone as looking for his daughter and avert suspicion. Has he been investigated? Has his house been searched for items that could belong to any of the victims?
After watching the program, there were two questions I have that weren't answered (although the first is touched on within a statement on the dateline website)....[1] Were any pimps investigated for these murders. From what I've heard and tend to believe is that most prostitutes work for pimps, not independently. I think that would be a good avenue of investigation in the killings. [2] Was there any evidence in Lorenzo Montoya's trailer that tied him to any of the West Mesa 11...serial killers often keep "trophies" of their victims, like personal items or clothing.....I would have liked it if the show discussed what if anything was found in or on his property. Oh, and also....what of the aunt that first gave the detective (via her niece discussing with the victim's sister) the tip about what was happening to the girls....she needs to be found and interrogated to find out what she knows, whom she heard that from, etc....