The Las Cruces bowling Alley Massacre. 

Las Cruces is the second largest city in New Mexico. It is approximately 50 miles north of El Paso, Texas. Las Cruces has a population of about 100,000 people and sits in the Mesilla Valley. The Organ Mountains (part of the Rocky Mountain chain) rise to the east of Las Cruces. The Rio Grande flows to the West of Las Cruces and the city also sits in the vast chihuahuan desert. Las Cruces is much warmer than Northern New Mexico so warm that desert palm trees grow abundantly. Las Cruces is home to New Mexico State University, one of the largest public universities in the state. In 1990 this was a sleepy town with just over 60,000 residents. The community wasn’t used to major crime issues like Albuquerque or other cities experienced. Until the winter of 1990 when the city was shaken by a senseless and horrible tragedy. This is the unsolved case of the Las Cruces Bowling Alley Massacre. 

On the morning of February 10th, 1990 - a 911 dispatcher receives a frantic call from a terrified young lady. She is 12 year old Melissa Repass. Melissa informs that dispatcher that she had been shot as well as 6 others. She tells the dispatcher that the shooting occurred inside Las Cruces Bowl. She goes on to describe the fact that she is the only person who is conscious and that the were the victims of a robbery gone bad. She also states that there is a fire. First responders arrived to a grisly scene. 

Feb 10 was like any typical morning for Stephanie Senac, the daughter of bowling alley Ronald Senac, was the day manager and was conducting her opening duties. Stephanie’s daughter Melissa and Melissa’s friend Amy Houser were in the office with her. Melissa and Amy often came to work with Stephanie as they would work in the bowling alleys daycare. Bowling alley cook, Ida Holguin, was prepping for the day. She had recently changed her schedule to allow her to work days instead of her usual evening shift. It was what seemed to be an average day until it took a dark turn. 

Stephanie’s brother, Steve stopped by to pick up some items he needed. He noted that there were two suspicious men on the side of the building but he didn’t think much of it. He also noted that the front door of the bowling alley was unlocked even though they hadn’t opened yet. He walked to the office and picked up what he came for and told Stephanie she needed to lock the door. As he left, he noticed that the men were still there. 

At approximately 8:20 am the two men enter the unlocked door of the bowling alley and one of the manen went into the kitchen and used his gun to force Ida into the manager’s office. The otther man found the two young girls and walked them into the office as well. Both men ordered Stephanie to open the safe which they robbed of most of its contents. They then forced everyone on the ground face first. 

Another employee Steven Teran was coming in to work his shift as the bowling alley mechanic. He brought his two daughters and had planned to drop them at the daycare center while he worked. Not seeing anyone in the daycare center he walks to the office. As he enters the office he stumbles upon the robbery in progress. Startling the robbers he and his daughters are forced on the ground. 

The two robbers then proceed to shoot every hostage multiple times at close range. They lit some documents on fire and ran out of the bowling alley. Allegedly there was an eyewitness on the top of a neighboring building’s roof who saw the men fleeing the scene. Melissa Repass manages to crawl towards the phone and dial 911. She had been shot five times. Melissa’s quick thinking and action led to the lives of her mother Stephanie, Ida Holguin, and her own being saved. Steve Teran, his 6 year old daughter, Paula and two year old daughter Valerie as well as 13 year old Amy Houser were all killed. 

This is one of the most gruesome and horrible crimes to happen in Las Cruces history. In 1999 Stephanie Snead would die from complications due to her injuries. Her daughter Melissa in the documentary A Nightmare in Las Cruces, now fully grown talks about how this trauma changed her mom and made her more reclusive and cautious. Melissa lost her mom and her best friend that awful day. And Steve Teran’s wife lost her entire family.

The police did set up numerous roadblocks and tried to find the suspects. There were helicopter and ground searches by police, border patrol, customs, and the army. Two sketches were created of the suspects which you can find on my website. They were never found. This case still remains unsolved 30 years later. There were several theories and rumors that perhaps the owner Ronald Senac was involved in shady business dealings and that this was a message to him. But none of this has been proven or substantiated. If you have any information related to this case that could help solve it please call crime stoppers at 1-800-222-tips or text CRIMES to 274637 keyword LCTIPS you can remain anonymous.