78R6177 SMC-F

By:  Chavez                                                     H.C.R. No. 59 



CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	WHEREAS, The Mexican border city of Juarez has been plagued 
with the sexual assault and brutal slaying of over 300 women in the 
past nine years; and
	WHEREAS, Women continue to disappear in the Juarez area 
almost every month; and
	WHEREAS, Federal Bureau of Investigation experts suspect 
that one or more serial killers are behind the killings and that at 
least one of the killers has access to both sides of the border; and
	WHEREAS, Some of the victims are as young as 13 years old, and 
many of them were abducted during broad daylight in well-populated 
areas; and
	WHEREAS, A number of the victims were Texas residents; and                     
	WHEREAS, These killings have brought pain and frustration to 
the El Paso-Juarez area as the victims' friends and families on both 
sides of the border struggle to cope with the loss of their loved 
ones; and
	WHEREAS, The United States Department of State blames the 
limited progress in solving the crimes on police incompetence, 
prosecutorial ineptitude, and a lack of investigative resources; 
and
	WHEREAS, The attention paid to the murders by the local 
authorities appears to be minimal, as tangible evidence, including 
the victims' clothing, shoes, and hair, has been found at the scenes 
of the killings months later; and
	WHEREAS, The Federal Bureau of Investigation must be allowed 
to maintain a physical presence in Juarez in order to assist in 
solving these horrendous crimes; and
	WHEREAS, Direct and personal involvement by Federal Bureau of 
Investigation agents, especially in the collection of evidence, is 
crucial to the expeditious solving of these murders; now, 
therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the 78th Legislature of the State of Texas 
hereby request that the Federal Bureau of Investigation be directly 
involved in assisting the Mexican law enforcement authorities in 
their investigation of the brutal murders of women in Juarez, 
Mexico, in order to put an end to the violence and bring justice to 
the families and friends of the victims; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official 
copies of this resolution to the director of the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation, the attorney general of the United States, the 
United States secretary of state, and the president of the United 
States.