New Mexico is known for being the first atomic bomb test site, its stunning landscapes, and beautiful caves. It is not the state many people would consider to be known for its Serial Killers. However, New Mexico has been the home to its fair share of serial killers. From the infamous Toy-box killer to the gruesome West Mesa bone collector, let’s take a look at five famous serial killers in New Mexico.
Toy Box Killer
David Parker Ray, famously known as the Toy Box Killer is likely the most famous serial killer from the state of New Mexico. Although no bodies were recovered, his associates accused him of being responsible for multiple deaths. Law enforcement believed he might have taken the lives of up to 60 individuals in the city of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.
Ray’s disturbing acts transpired within a self-constructed “toy box,” a homemade torture chamber estimated to have cost $100,000, earning him the nickname “Toy-Box Killer”. This sinister chamber was outfitted with an array of instruments he ominously termed his “friends”. It had items like whips, chains, pulleys, straps, clamps, leg spreader bars, and surgical tools.
Using these tools, Ray is believed to have subjected his victims to horrifying experiences. He potentially terrorized the town of Truth or Consequences for a prolonged period, often with the assistance of multiple accomplices.
David Ray Parker was arrested On March 22, 1999, after Cynthia Vigil, one of his victims, managed to escape following a harrowing three-day abduction and torture ordeal. He never faced a murder conviction despite being convicted of kidnapping and torture in 2001, leading to a substantial prison sentence.
Approximately a year after these legal proceedings, he passed away from a heart attack. This occurred shortly after his convictions in two separate cases, one of which resulted in a plea agreement aimed at securing the release of his daughter, Glenda Jean Ray. His daughter had collaborated with her father in the abduction and torture of one of his victims, Kelly Van Cleave.
Thomas Wayne Crump
Thomas Wayne Crump was a serial killer who operated in the 1980s across the US states of New Mexico and Nevada. He was convicted of four confirmed murders while admitting to an additional seven killings and seven attempted murders.
Crump’s preferred method of taking lives was through strangulation. Following convictions for murdering his second wife, a cab driver, and a Minnesota tourist in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he received a life sentence in the state.
Later on, he confessed to another murder in Las Vegas in October 1980, leading to a death sentence. The victim, Jodie Jameson, 25, associated with a local “escort service,” was killed by Crump in a seedy motel. She was strangled with a torn pillowcase, her lifeless body left abandoned in the bathtub.
West Mesa Bone Collector
The West Mesa Bone killer is the moniker attributed to an unidentified serial killer linked to the West Mesa murders. Police have also raised suspicions about a s*x trafficking ring operating in the vicinity.
The initial discovery occurred on February 2, 2009, when a woman walking a dog stumbled upon a human bone on the West Mesa. Subsequent investigations revealed the remains of 11 women buried in the desert area of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
These remains, all identified as women and girls, belonged to individuals who had vanished between 2001 and 2005. Primarily aged between 15 and 32, the majority were of Hispanic descent and were associated with drug use and s*x work.
Authorities believe that the same individual or group might have buried these bodies, suggesting a potential serial killer’s involvement. Despite the extensive investigation, no official suspects have been publicly named in connection with the homicides.
In 2010, a reward of up to $100,000 was offered for information that could lead to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. Throughout the investigation, several men have come to police attention, although they have not been officially designated as suspects in relation to the crimes.
Shane Harrison
Shane Harrison is a murderer and burglar responsible for five murders and multiple robberies in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He committed the murders while robbing a store alongside his girlfriend Esther Beckley.
Shane Harrison killed three employees of a Hollywood Video store during an armed robbery and kidnapped the grandparents of one employee, while they were waiting outside for their grandson to get off work. Shane Harrison and Esther Beckley then took the elderly couple to the Sandia Mountains before eventually executing them with a pistol.
Shane Harrison was charged with five counts of first-degree murder and 20 other charges in 1998 and sentenced to 258 years in prison. His Girlfriend, Esther Beckley, pleaded guilty to two of the murders and was sentenced to 95 1/2 years in prison.
Ricky Abeyta
Ricky Abeyta is a mass murderer from Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. He went on a shooting rampage on January 26, 1991, when he found his girlfriend Ignacita moving out from their mobile home and was responsible for killing seven people, including two police officers.
At the age of 29, Ricky Abeyta, a notable hunter in the rural enclave of Chimayo, embarked on a violent spree on January 26, 1991. His victims included two police officers, his 36-year-old girlfriend Ignacita Sandoval, Ignacita’s 19-year-old daughter Maryellen, the infant son of Maryellen, the child’s father, and another woman. Tragically, only Ignacita’s 13-year-old son managed to survive Abeyta’s rampage.
The two police officers were responding to a restraining order requested by Abeyta’s girlfriend, who was among the casualties. After the horrific murders, Abeyta fled to the hills, triggering an extensive search by law enforcement involving foot patrols and helicopters. On January 27, 1991, Abeyta was apprehended, subsequently put on trial, and handed a 146-year prison sentence for his atrocious acts.