Home buyers face dilemma on West Mesa

WOULD YOU BUY A HOME KNOWING THERE USED TO BE BODIES BURIED UNDERNEATH IT? THAT COULD BE A QU...  More »

WOULD YOU BUY A HOME KNOWING THERE USED TO BE BODIES BURIED UNDERNEATH IT? THAT COULD BE A QUESTION FUTURE HOMEOWNERS FACE ON THE WEST MESA -- WHERE 11 BODIES HAVE BEEN DUG UP SO FAR. JEFF MAHER IS LIVE NEAR 118TH AND DENNIS CHAVEZ WITH TONIGHT'S TOP STORY -- JEFF. K-B HOMES OWNS THIS LAND THAT HAS NOW BEEN TURNED INTO A 100 ACRE CRIME SCENE. THE PLAN WAS TO BUILD A BUNCH OF HOMES OUT HERE, AND THAT WILL LIKELY STILL HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE. THAT DOESN'T SIT WELL WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE. 'it's famous now as a creepy place, and I just wouldn't do it' DEVON HALL AND HIS FAMILY ARE LOOKING TO BUY A NEW HOME. AND EVEN THOUGH 118TH AND DENNIS CHAVEZ MAY HAVE A GREAT VIEW OF THE SANDIAS, HE SAYS HE WOULD NEVER THINK OF BUYING THERE. 'honestly I would not buy that house, you know even if it was a really really nice house, I feel like the land retains a certain energy of things that go on over time, etc' BEFORE THE BODIES WERE DISCOVERED, K-B HOMES HAD ALREADY ANNOUNCED PLANS TO LEAVE ALBUQUERQUE. WE ASKED THEM IF THEY WERE STILL GOING TO BUILD HOMES ON THE SITE. A SPOKESPERSON FOR K-B HOMES DID NOT GIVE US A STRAIGHT ANSWER -- AND REFERRED US TO ALBUQUERQUE POLICE. SO, WE CHECKED WITH THE CITY TO SEE IF IT WOULD STILL GRANT BUILDING PERMITS ON THE BURIAL GROUND. 'the only thing we can do is secure it as a crime site as related to an ongoing investigation, however we could not prevent them from developing the property'PETE DINELLI, THE CITY'S CHIEF PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER SAYS THE AREA HAS ALREADY BEEN ZONED BY THE CITY FOR DEVELOPMENT, AND SAYS THAT WILL NOT CHANGE DESPITE WHAT HAPPENED ON THE WEST MESA. 'we don't look at how much crime has occurred, we don't look at the body count so to speak, what we look at is trying to solve the crime, trying to identify who these people are, reaching out to the families and being very sensitive about it' IF HOMES EVER POP UP OUT HERE, THE HOMEOWNERS MAY NEVER EVEN KNOW IT WAS A BURIAL SITE. UNDER STATE RULES A REAL ESTATE AGENT OR HOME BUILDER DOES NOT HAVE TO TELL YOU IF A HOUSE WAS THE SITE OF A MURDER. LIVE ON THE WEST MESA -- JEFF MAHER  « Less