Mesa bodies scare streetwalkers

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Vice cops from the Albuquerque Police Department vice unit hit the streets to learn more about the prostitutes working East Central and maybe pick up clues about who dumped a dozen bodies on the west mesa.

The only two names attached so far to the skeletal remains found over the last month are of women with a history of prostitution.

The women who work along Central told KRQE News 13 they are scared after hearing the news of the bodies.

Most of the girls said they knew the two who were found on the mesa.

Ria said she has to protect herself on the streets while Debbie said God protects her.

They all said they or someone they knew had been the victim of a rape or beating or been threatened with guns. However they also said easy money to pay for a drug habit keeps them on the streets.

Police have released few details of their investigation but have said prostitution could be a common link in the burials. Investigators continue to search the site where over the last month they have recovered the skeletal remains of 12 people and an unborn fetus.