Mesa victim's family plans funeral

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Another sad chapter in the mystery of the West Mesa murders is coming to a close with the return of Victoria Chavez's remains to her family.

The remains of 11 women and a fetus were unearthed earlier this year from makeshift graves on Albuquerque's Southwest Mesa. Seven of those women have been identified.

The last set of remains of the women who were identified has been returned to the victim's family.

Victoria Chavez's remains were returned on Wednesday to her mother, Mary Gutierrez-Saiz. Gutierrez-Saiz says her daughter's remains will be buried in a family plot at an Albuquerque cemetery next weekend.

"We're finally putting her to rest," Gutierrez-Saiz told News 13.

The release of Chavez's remains follows the release of the final autopsy report from the Office of the Medical Investigator. The report shed no new light on the cause of Chavez's death. Her death remains classified as a homicide. The report did indicate that there were possible "remote" injuries to her left foot and neck.

Victoria Chavez's remains were the first found at the construction site on February 2nd. Her mother points out she will be the last identified victim buried.

"She's the last one," Gutierrez-Saiz said. "We find comfort in that because now she's making sure the rest of the girls have a proper burial."

Authorities continue to work to identify the remains of the 4 unidentified victims of the West Mesa murders.