Josh

There was no memorial for the victims, no remembrance placed in the local news each year, and the mayor never even seemed to want to speak publicly on the case.

Charlie also pointed out that the mayor couldn't even be bothered to attend the screening to his movie, which was an event put in place to try and find new leads on the long-standing mystery.

Charlie Min told the Las Cruces Bulletin, Miyagishima's apathy is disgusting, and pointed out that the lack of a public memorial is indicative of the local community's refusal to step up and deal with the scars left behind by this horrible tragedy.

In the years following the crime, memorials were placed and vigils were held in honor of the victims.

Local churches held services to gain donations for wounded survivors and to cover the costs of the funerals for the deceased.

But as the months turned into years, detectives retired and interested journalists moved on to new crimes and stories.

The larger community of Las Cruces seems to fall into a cycle of never discussing the crime until its anniversary pops up and the family of the victim speaks out and asks for help.

All of the theories and tips have led to dead ends.

Over the course of 10 years, investigators looked into thousands of tips and over a thousand suspects.

They even reached out to psychics to see if any new information can come to light that way.

Over the years, several TV shows like Unsolved Mysteries and America's Most Wanted have covered the murders resulting in countless tips, but still, nothing has ever come from these tips.

When Melissa Repass was 30, she told CNN that she needed the killers to be caught so she could finally stop living in fear.

She said they now will be able to go out in public and feel safe.

I won't constantly look over my shoulder.

I won't feel for my children for their safety and I won't fear.

I won't have fear in my own home and that they're going to try and finish what they tried to do 21 years ago.

In 2016, law enforcement confirmed the case was still open and that the evidence was routinely processed and analyzed.

But they emphasized that in order to be solved, this case needed someone to step forward with significant information.

In 2020, law enforcement told the public they believed the culprits were professionals based on the weapons they used, how the victims were murdered, and how they destroyed some of the evidence.

They also believed the shooters were possibly from out of state, and it was suggested that the gunmen had local help to lay low for a while after the shooting.