Since 2001, over a dozen women have disappeared from the Albuquerque, New Mexico area. In 2009, the bodies of 11 women were found buried in shallow graves near one another in a field, and the case was dubbed the West Mesa Murders. Thought to be the work of a serial killer, police pieced together as much information as they could about the victims.
After being identified, it was learned that many of the women were known to law enforcement because of their drug abuse, arrests, or ties to prostitution. Because of this, local reporters didn’t cover their missing person cases during the years prior. When the mass grave site was uncovered, many asked themselves how something like this could go unchecked.
While the West Mesa victims were all reported missing during 2003 and 2004, there were plenty of other women who also vanished in 2005 and 2006. One of these cases is that of Shawntell Monique Waites, who disappeared from the Albuquerque area sometime in 2006. Not much information about her lifestyle has been made public, and no one has heard from or seen Shawntell since then. The person or persons responsible for the West Mesa murders have never been identified. Some believe that Shawntell has fallen victim to a serial killer who has stalked the streets of New Mexico for possibly close to two decades.