Over time, a number of men have attracted police attention, though not named as full suspects, in connection with the murders. "It would have identified her killer sooner, but it wouldnt have saved her," Jayann stated on "Dateline.". Your login session has expired. >> for me, there was a story. He is serving his time in Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y. Sara Krauseneck continued to support her father, even after he was convicted. [19][22], In August 2010, police searched several properties in Joplin, Missouri associated with local photographer and businessman Ron Erwin in connection with the West Mesa cases. [This story previously aired on November 7, 2020. Then, in 2014, with the mass killing still unsolved, Lopez moved out of state and retired. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. "Sara told me to tell her fairy-tale stories," said Marron-Keating. In 2006 there were reportedly dirt trails leading from his trailer park to the site. In an exchange for a plea deal, Scott, 30, was sentenced to 85 years in prison for stranglingDelores Dewitt, 42, and her 20-year-old daughter Ebony. Dirk Gibson, a communications and journalism professor at the University of New Mexico (Det. only one detective to find them. Genre (s): Talk & Interview, Business, News, Documentary, Events & Specials. Ida Lopez, a missing persons detective from the Alberquerque Police Department, became increasingly attached to the unsolved homicide of 11 women and an unborn fetus, whose remains were discovered in one of the city's deserts back in 2009. Carla Walker was 17 years old when she was abducted on February 17, 1974, pulled from a vehicle where she was sitting with her boyfriend Rodney McCoy after they'd attended a Valentine's Day . The investigation led the detective to discover at least 17 more similar cases of missing women, whom she referred to as "her girls.". Diane Marcell was looking forward to having lunch with her 17-year-old daughter, Brittani when she opened the door to the family's Albuquerque home and made a grisly discovery. "If she would've left 30 seconds earlier or even a minute earlier or later, he would've never seen her," Myers stated. New Mexico State University", "Fair prostitutes help West Mesa murders", "The Untold Truth Of The West Mesa Murders", "APD Talks 10-Year Investigation Into West Mesa Murders", "The West Mesa Murders And The Bone Collector Behind Them", "Updated: Seven years later, one detective remains on West Mesa killings", "AMW Fugitives West Mesa Bone Collector Case", "Women's photos may link to mesa murders", "West Mesa Serial Killer--$100,000 Reward", "Lawton girl was only teen in mass grave", "Albuquerque police release photos in West Mesa murders investigation (warning: content may be disturbing for some people)", "Police identify 2 women from photos, both alive", "Dateline To Air Story on West Mesa Deaths", "West Mesa Bone Collector Albuquerque NM", "Police Pursue Possible Leads In West Mesa Cases", "Does APD have a suspect in the West Mesa Murders? Now, the Journal has learned she is back on the case. Prosecutors dropped charges in the other killings (mother and daughterKaren and Karissa Lofton, and Vilma Butler). She was 23 when she disappeared. The official synopsis states: "Josh Mankiewicz recalls the story of a detective who. At the time of his arrest the now 67-year-old was living in Arizona with his wife Sharon. Victims Jamie Barela, 15 Monica Candelaria, 22 Victoria Chavez, 26 Virginia Cloven, 24 Syllania Edwards, 15 Cinnamon Eks, 32 Doreen Marquez, 24 Julie Nieto, 24 Veronica Romero, 28 Evelyn Salazar, 27 Michelle Valdez, 22 Who Is the West Mesa Bone Collector? Case in, With momentum generated by its first series sweep of the year, the New Mexico baseball. Who Is Cass College Friend John on Good Witch? Tonight's Dateline http://datl.in/fSpdzC, Anyone with information on the West Mesa murders is urged to contact (505)-768-2450 or. "She was always my protector but also my best friend.". Thanks to DNA testing, Katie's Lawwentinto effect in New Mexico in 2006 and requiresanyone arrested on a violent crime to submit a DNA sample. Who killed her? A sinister force seemed to be snatching women off the streets of Albuquerque. [19] He had twice been arrested for violent attacks on sex workers and had threatened to kill his girlfriend and bury her in lime. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Source: Twitter/Dateline NBC (video still), Source: YouTube/News 8 WROC (video still), addressing the court during her father's sentencing. This analogy from centuries ago that black people are three-fifths of a human being is still present in society today, and it was present in 2016 when Courtney died.. Please logout and login again. Shapearl Wells' mission to find out who fatally shot her 22-year-old son, Courtney Copeland, in Chicago in March 2016 is the subject of the June 25, 2021 episode of "Dateline." (Dateline NBC /. According to the New York Post, when he did return around 5 p.m., he was met with a gruesome scene. Posted: Jul 29, 2022 / 12:30 PM EDT. It would appear the killings stopped after his death. What is the Spanish language plot outline for Somebody's Daughter (2010)? And the murders, which police believe were the work of a serial killer, remain unsolved. The case remains unsolved till date, with eight girls still missing. Robert Jones. In 2014, a breakthrough on a decades-old case caused Albuquerque police to become interested in Joseph Blea as a suspect for the murders. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Decades later, the case still remains unsolved. In 1982 Cathleen Krauseneck was brutally murdered in her home with only her 3-year-old daughter as a witness. Wednesday, October 5th, 2016 at 12:02AM. Best of NBC News . Lopez spent years investigating the case and soon became a significant figure in the West Mesa murders. LAS CRUCES Many residentsremember Katie Sepich from news storiesa young woman who walked home from a house party early one morning and never made it back insideher own home. The show featured emotional interviews with Katie'sparents, Dave and Jayann Sepich, her siblings, her former roommate and law enforcement detectives, includingformer Las Cruces police detective Mark Myers and retired Capt. Somebody's Daughter | Dateline NBC Episode on Amazon Music Somebody's Daughter Dateline NBC Sep 20 2021 1 hr 24 mins A sinister force seems to be snatching women off the streets of Albuquerque. They dont see black men as human, Shapealr told People. "My wife tried to kill herself. See production, box office & company info, I was offended by cavalier attitude of Mankiewicz. Tixier said the department decided to bring Lopez back because of her long connection to the case and her relationships with the victims families. He said he pulled over to make sure she was OK, then followed her to make sure she got home safely. The Dateline episode "Somebody's Daughter" shines the light on Albuquerque Detective Ida Lopez. Twins Vivica and Vianca Corley of Eldorado High hope to carry on a tradition of tennis excellence that began with older sisters Ivana and Syracuse transfer looks to shine for University of New You never know when some of those past recruiting trips might pay off. When he addressed Jim Krauseneck, the tone was quite different. That was her looking for her own kids when its our kids, said Eleanor Griego, whose daughter was one of the victims. Police would later determine the murder weapon was an ax that left a 3-inch gash. The case reportedly began in 2005 when Lopez was handed files of a few missing women, one of whom was a 25-year-old prostitute named Michelle Valdez from New Mexico's largest city, Alberquerque. Copyright 2023 Distractify. The Sepiches, who spent a decade championing the law across the country (it's now in 31 states), saythey will never know the people who were helped by Katie's Law, but they know they are there. He was "making emotional sounds screaming, growling, that kind of thing he didnt say anything. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. After he was shot in the back of the neck by an unknown assailant, he had supposedly . KPRC . Her siblings are A.J. Dateline: Unforgettable airs every Tuesday on Oxygen at 8:00 PM ET. [15][16] On December 13, 2010, police reported that two of the women in the photos had been identified as alive, and could have valuable information if they can be located. Katie, 22, was last seen alive leaving a party on foot after an argument with her boyfriendearly the morning of Aug. 31, 2003,the start of Labor Day weekend. ", "Albuquerque police release photos in West Mesa murders investigation", "Joplin man says he has been cleared of suspicion in serial murders", "Colorado killer quizzed in mesa murders", "Accused serial rapist, West Mesa murder suspect sentenced to 36 years in rape case", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Mesa_murders&oldid=1149650025, Crimes against sex workers in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 13 April 2023, at 15:13. [26] In 2015, Blea was also suspected by police of killing a sex worker; his DNA sample was located on the inner waistband and belt of a sex worker found dead on Central Ave, a notorious street for sex work in the eastern part of the city. They were between 15 and 32 years of age, most were Hispanic, and most were involved with drugs and sex work. An emergency room nurse and the paramedics report that Courtney arrived at the hospital wearing handcuffs. >> so she searched as the numbers grew. An ambulance was called, and his heart stopped on the way to the hospital. Dateline: Unforgettable: Who is detective Ida Lopez and what is her role in the investigation of the Albuquerque disappearances. [21] In December 2006, Montoya strangled a teenage sex worker to death at his trailer and then was shot to death by the teen's boyfriend. It would take authorities over four decades to catch the person who did it. Right on cue: May ushers in warm weather in April showers brought May flowers this April showers brought May flowers this year. The family of the victim was able to get a law passed Florida requiring 911 dispatch operators to be state certified position. While the killings were initially believed to be the work of a serial killer, the involvement of a sex trafficking ring has been suspected. >> and families . [12] Michelle Valdez was four months pregnant at the time of her death.[13]. [1] Police have also suspected the involvement of a sex trafficking ring operating through neighboring Texas that targets sex workers during events throughout the Southwest, Southern, and Western United States, especially regularly scheduled events, such as the New Mexico state fair in this case, to take advantage of reliably heavier traffic. Although Joseph Hartsfield's manner of death has been ruled undetermined, Sarah Hartsfield was arrested in February 2023 and was charged with his murder, per ABC 13.She is currently being held in a Chambers County jail on a $4.5 million bond, down from $5 million, which was decreased by the court after Sarah pleaded for mercy. "My . West Mesa Homicide Investigation Police release photos to help solve West Mesa murders Police We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Lopez caught national attention by appearing on Dateline in a story about the West Mesa case that aired in December 2010. Here are some of the things that dont add up about Cournteys death: So much seems to point that the police know more about what happened to Courtney than theyre telling, or maybe they just dont deem it important enough to find out. A detective's daughter is abducted and murdered despite several phone calls to police dispatchers from her husband, a concerned driver, and even the victim herself.A detective's daughter is abducted and murdered despite several phone calls to police dispatchers from her husband, a concerned driver, and even the victim herself.A detective's daughter is abducted and murdered despite several phone calls to police dispatchers from her husband, a concerned driver, and even the victim herself. She'd beaten the odds in her own life. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Word Count: 1051. FULL EPISODE: Somebody's Daughter FULL EPISODE: Somebody's Daughter A sinister force seemed to be snatching women off the streets of Albuquerque. Gabriel Avila, then 27, of Las Cruces, hadsubmitted a DNA sample after being sent to prison for convictions of burglary, resisting arrest and fraudulent refusal to return leased property. Now, she was determined to beat them on the job using her head and her heart. ATF Special Agent David Cheplak said Scott took his craft seriously. Scott studied criminal forensics TV shows which helped him in his criminal endeavors whether it was hiding his DNA by always wearing gloves, or turning off his cell phone and going so far as taking out the battery because he thought that perhaps the police might be able to trace where his cell phone was at the time of any of these crimes. Dateline NBC airs Sundays at 10pm. Episode Summary. New Mexico and ABQ News, Sports, Business and more, By Nicole Perez and Robert Browman / Journal Staff Writers Search for missing teens finds seven bodies on Oklahoma property, Celebrities show off their style at Met Gala, 8-year-old shares inspiring cancer treatment story online, Elite prep school admits it fell tragically short after students suicide, Restaurant industry pushes back amid N.Y. move to ban gas stoves in new buildings, How A.I. Round 3 of Aggie-Lobo baseball is Tuesday; Aggies will With momentum generated by its first series sweep of the year, the New Mexico baseball team (22-17) jumps back into action on Tuesday, hosting Three men sentenced in torture, killings of 14- and A judge sentenced three men to two consecutive life sentences Monday in the 2018 beating and shooting deaths of two teenage boys on the New Mexico Tech university president resigns. Albuquerque police spokesperson Tanner Tixier stated that she returned in 2015 to continue working on the unsolved case. The city would not release footage from surveillance cameras. As a result of the subsequent police investigation, authorities discovered the remains of 11 women and girls[8] and a fetus buried in the area. For our first episode of 2018, we outline the still-unsolved murders of the West Mesa Serial Killer. She put her whole heart into it. Several suspects have been named, but none were arrested or charged. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 'Dateline' has answers. Detective Ida Lopez's dedication to finding these missing women is admirable.

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