Daughters of the West Mesa

In 2012, New Mexico celebrated 100 years of statehood. In its tribute to that anniversary the Albuquerque Journal noted the West Mesa murder case was Albuquerque greatest mystery. This, Daughters of the West Mesa, is a work of fiction based on this true story. On February second, 2009, a woman walked her dog on the mesa. Officials encountered a human femur bone near 118th Street and Dennis Chavez SW. Police excavated the area and ultimately found the remains of eleven women and an unborn fetus. Nine were Hispanic, one was Native American, and one was African American. It was discovered that they went missing between 2003 and 2005 after struggling with drug addiction and high risk behavior that sometimes included prostitution. Police officials have named no suspect.

I have a personal connection to the story, and to the community in which it developed. I followed the story closely, was peripherally involved with some of the victim's families, attended three funerals, and talked with members of the police and sheriff departments. I also attended, alone, the rituals at the wall altar described in this book. I was present at the information sessions and rallies at the park. I talked with the media, family members and other people before and after the funerals, and still maintain communication with two family members of two of the identified victims in this unsolved mystery. The sentiments of one of those families is found on the back cover of this novel.

None of the young women was my daughter. Nevertheless, I felt they were because my daughter worked in the clubs at night, came home in the dark, and I feared for her, and her friend's safety.

The sight of the remains of the women found on the West Mesa and their families affected the community profoundly. Yet, a non-community member said to me recently, "Oh, I forgot about that case." We sometimes are a world apart in the same place. There is no intent to victimize anyone. I simply want to humanize those involved. I desire to render human the women's lives, their parents, to document the questions they asked themselves and others, their memories, their regrets, and their conclusions about themselves when their dead and missing daughters were identified, found, or finally buried. I also want to acknowledge the work of various officials attached to the case. Lastly, I write this book with the desire to impress upon others that the West Mesa murders is the largest crime scene in the U.S., that it is still an unsolved mystery, and that perhaps, this book can bring us closer to finding the killer. At least one person knows, or suspects, who it is.

Dr. Irene Isabel Blea is an award-winning native of New Mexico who lives in Albuquerque but with deep ties to Colorado. The author has published several books, many articles, and much poetry. She keeps a strong internet presence. Her Chicana! Facebook page has 14,400+ members. She still reads her poetry to audiences and speaks at various events about her activism regarding issues that concern Chicanas and Indigenous women.