By: Shapleigh S.C.R. No. 7 (In the Senate - Filed January 27, 2003; February 6, 2003, read first time and referred to Committee on International Relations and Trade; April 15, 2003, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; April 15, 2003, sent to printer.)SENATE 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.* * * * *