(NewsNation) — Feb. 10, 2026, will mark 36 years since the horrendous tragedy that rocked Las Cruces, New Mexico.
On that fateful day, four children and three adults were shot at a local bowling alley. Four of the victims, three of them children, were killed that day, while one of the adults who survived passed away years later of complications from the shooting.
Police said two gunmen forced the seven victims into an office inside the bowling alley before opening fire.
The case has remained unsolved, which Anthony Teran, who lost his brother and two nieces, describes as frustrating.
“It’s been a long time,” Teran told “Banfield” on Monday. “You have hope in the law enforcement. You’re hoping that they’re going to get a lead. You know, it takes some time. They’re going to put some stuff together.”
Teran acknowledged he waited eight or nine years after the tragedy to start asking questions.
“I said, ‘You know what, I can’t just be coming every anniversary crying and worrying about what happened to my brother and my nieces,'” he said. “It’s time to get on the internet, time to raise money, time to start bringing in private detectives.”
Case being unsolved is pathetic and humiliating: Filmaker
As Teran began his quest to solve the case, he encountered Charlie Minn, a documentary filmmaker, who wanted to get answers, as well. The two worked together on “A Nightmare in Las Cruces,” which shone a light on the vicious crime.
Minn said the police continued to be of no help, even after the documentary was released.
The police response was “not much,” said Minn, who is doing a similar film about the Lane Bryant massacre in Tinsley Park, Illinois. “Both cases are unsolved. Both are very similar where five people died, ended up dying. Both police departments, I’ll get right to the point, are extremely incompetent. I don’t question their efforts so much, but I question the result.”
Minn called the police’s efforts in Las Cruces and Tinsley Park “pathetic and humiliating.”
“We need a whole new set of eyes on this thing,” he said. “Social media will solve both of these cases if both departments would just be a little bit more transparent.”
Las Cruces police continue to offer a $25,000 reward for information that helps identify the men responsible for the shooting.