Girl Monster: The True Story of Brookey Lee West

One of the most gruesome and bizarre crimes that ever occurred in Las Vegas was discovered on February 5, 2001. The manager of Canyon Gate Mini Storage, Bill Unruh, opened Unit #317 after someone reported a very bad smell. He found a 45-gallon garbage container that had a brownish liquid oozing out of it at the bottom. He called police. Detectives entered a unit that contained normal items on one side and the oozing sealed-up garbage container on the other side. There were also books about witchcraft and Satanism in the locker. Unruh told police that the unit had been rented in the names of Brookey Lee West and Christine Smith on June 26, 1998. The garbage container had been made airtight with duct tape, packing tape, plastic wrap, and garbage bags. The leakage was coming from a hole that had developed in the bottom. When investigators cut the container open, more fluid seeped out accompanied by dead maggots. They could see a human body inside, very decomposed. The body was mostly liquefied, but those on scene could easily see that a white plastic bag was tied around the person's face. Crime scene analysts tested the brownish liquid for human blood and the test was positive. In the storage unit, Detective David Mesinar found Christine Smith's wallet, ID, prescriptions, and documents relating to her Social Security payments. Dental records confirmed that the body was Christine's. Christine would have been 68 years old if she was still alive. Detectives began by looking for Christine's daughter, 46-year-old Brookey Lee West.