It’s the state’s most notorious serial killer case — in 2009, the bodies of 11 women and teenagers were found buried on the West Mesa. This month, a new movie has pushed the case back into the spotlight.
City Desk ABQ reached out to the Albuquerque Police Department about the investigation and the possible impact the crime thriller Boneyard may have on it.
The film, starring Mel Gibson, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and,Brian Van Holt, opens much the same way the investigation did.
In 2009, a woman was walking her dog in an empty lot at Amole Mesa Avenue and 118th Street when the dog, Ruca, dug up a human femur. After the woman reported the find, investigators searched the area and found the buried bodies of 11 women and teenagers.
The victims ranged in age from 15 to 32. One of the women was pregnant when she was killed. They all disappeared between 2003 and 2006.
Police have worked on the case ever since. Although much has been made about two possible suspects, no one has been charged.
Rebecca Atkins, an APD spokesperson, provided the following responses via email:
City Desk ABQ: How many APD employees (or contract investigators) are working on the case now and what are their titles?
Atkins: We have a team of investigators that are actively working this case.
Has the movie led to tips or information from the public? If so, how is that information being evaluated?
Yes, we have received tips since the release of the movie.
Does the publication of a fictional work like this impact a real-life investigation?
Any news coverage, documentaries, and/or public discussion about a case can have an impact on an investigation. There are often news stories done on the West Mesa case, and with those, we anticipate there will be information that comes in and we appropriately accept that information and look into it.
In the movie, APD gets a lot of help from an FBI profiler and the FBI takes over the investigation. In real life has the FBI helped? Has the FBI (or anyone else) provided a profile of the killer and if so is there anything you can disclose about that profile?
Yes, early on the FBI provided a profile of the suspected killer. We continue to work with our federal partners to assist with this case.
(On the 13th anniversary of the discovery of the bodies, the APD put together a video on the case, in which investigator Ida Lopez talks about the FBI profile)
What challenges does the age of a case like this present? What strategies can police employ to solve an older case?
APD has used advancements in technology to solve several cold cases in recent years. The department is always looking at new ways to use modern technology to see how it can advance any cases we are investigating.
How does APD balance working on older homicides and solving the homicides that occur in the present?
Boneyard is showing locally at Icon Cinema 4 Hills, 13120 Central Ave. SE. It’s also available via video on demand on Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu, and the Microsoft Store.
We have 16 homicide detectives who focus on active homicide investigations. We also have 6 non-sworn contracted investigators (most retired from APD) that work cold and older cases. In addition, we have one sworn detective in Cold Case that works with the non-sworn investigators.
Has Chief Harold Medina or any of the investigators on the case seen the movie and if so, what do they think about it?
Chief Medina has not seen the movie. Investigators have not said whether they have seen the movie.
Has APD heard from the families about the movie and if so what have they said?
APD heard from some family members when the movie was first announced. They felt it was disrespectful that they were not consulted or contacted by the production company.
Was anyone at APD involved in or consulted about the movie? If so, in what way?
No one at the department was contacted nor consulted with on the movie.