The Women of Albuquerque: Lost, Missing, and Murdered

When we speak the names of missing and murdered women, we bring them out of silence and back into the light.

Between 2001 and the mid-2000s, Albuquerque, New Mexico became the backdrop to one of the most haunting mysteries in recent history. Women—many of them young, vulnerable, and struggling with addiction and survival sex work—began to disappear. Some of them were later identified among the West Mesa murders. Others remain missing, their families still waiting for answers.

This is the first of many articles I’ll be writing on these women—their lives, their disappearances, and the legacy they leave behind. Because every single one of them deserves to be remembered.

Identified Women: The West Mesa Victims

• Cinnamon Elks
• Doreen Marquez
• Victoria Chavez
• Jamie Barela
• Michelle Valdez
• Julie Nieto
• Veronica Romero
• Evelyn Salazar
• Virginia Cloven
• Monica Candelaria

Their remains were discovered on the West Mesa in 2009. Their names are known now, but justice has yet to be fully delivered.

Still Missing

Other women from the same period remain unaccounted for, including:

• Felipa “Vicky” Gonzales – Last seen 2005
• Shawntell Waites – Last seen 2004

Felipa’s story is especially striking. At just 22, she vanished in 2005 after being released from jail. Struggling with addiction and depression, she was trying to survive in a dangerous world. She has never been heard from again.

Why This Series Matters

These women were more than statistics. They were daughters, sisters, mothers, and friends. They laughed, they loved, they struggled—and they deserved so much more than to vanish into silence.

In this series, I’ll be revisiting their cases, one by one. I’ll write not just about the facts of their disappearances, but also about the systems that failed them, the families who mourn them, and the enduring fight to bring them justice.

Because memory is a form of justice. And forgetting is never an option.

If you know anything about the West Mesa murders or the women who remain missing, please call the tip line at 1-877-765-8273 or 505-768-2450. Every lead matters.

This is the first in a series of articles I’ll be publishing here. More will follow, because the women of Albuquerque deserve not only remembrance—but truth.