New Mexico
Tip in 2001 disappearance of New Mexico woman emerges after new search
For more than two decades, there has been little movement in the case of a missing New Mexico woman who vanished from her hometown – but a recent search has attracted long-awaited attention and sparked new tips, including one that investigators say is “pretty good.”
Melissa Montoya was 42 years old when she went missing on March 9, 2001, after a night out in Dulce, New Mexico, on the Jicarilla Apache Nation Reservation.
Two months later, her then-boyfriend was found dead at their Colorado home. A short time after that, the house burned to the ground.
Melissa’s mysterious disappearance was reported to local authorities, who questioned the boyfriend, who was later considered a suspect, and conducted an initial search of the property. But with no leads, the case quickly went cold.
On November 3, 2024, nearly 24 years after Melissa went missing, officials from several local agencies along with three cadaver dogs returned to the same property in Archuleta County, Colorado.
An all-day search of the 50-acre property in Colorado ended in defeat when officials came up with nothing, leaving Melissa’s loved ones devastated and left with more questions.
But what happened the next day has given them fresh hope. New tips have trickled in, including one that was called into police after the person spotted a Dateline NBC story about the search on social media.
“It appears to be significant,” Darlene Gomez, a friend and cousin of Melissa’s, told The Independent a few days later. “And I know that the police are looking into the tip.”
Law enforcement officials confirmed the tip to The Independent and said it appears to be from a woman who says she heard from her significant other about an off-putting encounter he had with the suspect, who was a friend of his, on the night Melissa went missing.
Investigators told The Independent that because of new locations mentioned in the tipster’s account, several agencies are involved and are working to “corroborate her claims” and possibly reach out to individuals who may have information about that night.
Gomez, who was in law school when Melissa disappeared, is now an attorney and has been advocating for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) cases for more than 20 years. She continues to push for answers in her friend’s case and has become the liaison between the family and law enforcement.
“Nobody wanted to talk about it,” Gomez said. “One of my biggest concerns now is could I have done more in the beginning.”
“I believe that as I became powerful in my own voice, growing into my own voice as a woman and as a woman of color, I was able to kind of press the issue forward,” she said.
She told The Independent that she hopes the renewed attention on the case will generate tips that could result in potential leads, and ultimately mean finding Melissa.
For over 20 years there were no ground searches, no missing person posters, no calls for action. What happened to Melissa was a mystery and Gomez is still afraid that the case might never be solved.
“This morning I started crying,” she said, her voice cracking. “Because… I don’t know if I’m ever going to find her.”
The disappearance of Melissa Montoya
In March 2001, Melissa lived with her boyfriend in Colorado just across the border from her hometown of Dulce, New Mexico, Jicarilla Apache Nation Reservation.
According to Gomez, there was a history of domestic abuse in the relationship and Melissa was desperate to get out.
In the days leading up to her disappearance, she had told family members that if something ever happened to her, it would be at the hands of her partner.
“She was definitely afraid to leave him,” Gomez said, adding that there was nowhere for her to go. “At that time, there were not any domestic violence shelters in the area, no resources that would protect Melissa.”
“No one reached out to help her,” Gomez added. “She was trapped and she knew she was trapped.”
So Melissa stayed with her boyfriend.
On March 9, 2001, Melissa went to a St Patrick’s Day party at the Jicarilla Apache House of Spirits, also known as “The Zoo,” that was once situated on Jicarilla Apache Reservation. After she left the bar that night, she was never seen or heard from again.
A dead suspect
About a month after Melissa was officially reported missing that May, her boyfriend was found dead at his home.
Jicarilla Apache Nation Police Criminal Investigator Chris Rafferty told The Independent that the man’s death was ruled a suicide at the time. A short time later, the house on the Colorado property burned down, adding another twist to the mystery.
Investigator Rafferty explained that the boyfriend, who was not named, was considered to be a suspect in Melissa’s disappearance and that he was even questioned at the time.
“He says they weren’t together at the bar, but we had a lot of witnesses that said they were,” Rafferty told Dateline in an earlier interview about the boyfriend. But it’s the “boyfriend who was the one that she left with the night that she went missing,” he said.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is also involved in the investigation, reportedly did its own interviews around town, but nothing came from them.
Rafferty explained that the biggest issue that they are dealing with is incomplete police reports from 20 years ago, along with a lack of evidence and a dead suspect.
“We’re basically starting from scratch,” he said.
Another factor in the complicated case is the many law enforcement agencies who have a hand in the investigation.
The Jicarilla Apache Nation Police Department is the lead investigating agency while the investigation into the boyfriend’s death was handled by the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado. The search on Sunday was also launched by the sheriff’s office.
A new lead
In May 2024, Gomez received an email that she believes got the ball rolling in Melissa’s case after more than 20 years.
“I got an email from a woman who was looking for her missing loved one from California and came across the NamUs record showing that human remains belonging to a Native American female between the ages of 30 years old and 60 years old were found in Dulce, New Mexico,” Gomez explained.
“She had then cross-referenced it to women who were missing from the area and found out the only woman that matched that description was Melissa Montoya.”
Gomez immediately alerted the Jicarilla Apache Nation Police Department and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The bones had been discovered back in 2020 near where Melissa went missing and were kept in a police room, but had not been tested.
So Gomez pushed for the evidence to be tested.
“They were tested,” Investigator Rafferty told Dateline in a July interview, referring to when they were first discovered in 2020. “Initially, they came back as a — as a female.”
“At first, I really thought those bones were hers,” Gomez said. “So for six weeks, I didn’t sleep, I didn’t eat.”
So when Gomez received the letter, it reinvigorated the investigation – and they tested the bones again. Unfortunately, it turned out that the remains belonged to a male.
“The technology we have now is slightly better than it was back then,” Gomez said, adding it was not the outcome they were hoping for.
But hope would come again several months later.
“I really feel like if it was not for the woman who sent me the email from California, I mean, that is what got the ball rolling,” Gomez told The Independent.
She further explained that the investigator was not even aware that Melissa went missing from Dulce, simply because there was not a system to track missing and murdered individuals.
A hopeful search
On November 3, 2024, officials from multiple law enforcement agencies descended on the Colorado property in Archuleta County hoping to find a clue as to Melissa’s whereabouts.
Jicarilla Apache Chief of Police Joseph Schake told Dateline that the search came about following a review of the department’s open cold cases.
They called in the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office, since the property falls within its jurisdiction.
Sheriff Mike Le Roux noted that they were able to cover a huge area of the property in “perfect” search conditions. Three dogs were brought in to assist in the search, but none of them registered a positive identification for anything.
Le Roux pointed out that a long period of time had passed and that his understanding is that the canines “have the ability to detect human remains in excess of 20 years.”
Gomez told The Independent that she got a rundown of what happened during the search from the sheriff. She said two major issues that could impede the search or future searches was that the fire destroyed the main structure.
And over the years, many new structures had gone up, hindering access to certain places where they might find evidence or even a body.
Despite not finding anything in the search, Gomez told The Independent that she is glad they were able to do it.
“I’m so very grateful that the property owners allowed us to have that search,” she said, adding that while the search was being carried out, she and other loved ones, and MMIW supporters rallied in town with bright signs that featured Melissa’s face.
Over the years, there has been little to no media coverage of Melissa’s case.
“No one had seen an article about it. Nothing printed in the local newspaper, nothing came out on the news, nothing on the radio,” she said, adding that her case could have already been solved if her story had been told.
“So potentially there’s 24 years of witnesses who have not been interviewed, 24 years of witnesses — and someone must know something.”
No additional searches are planned at the time, but investigators said that, as new tips come in, they will investigate each one.
“For me, I’m extremely grateful that the police department is actively working this case,” Gomez said. “It gives me hope.”
‘Almost 24 years later, it’s finally happening for us’
Darlene Gomez has advocated for the MMIW since she went to law school, about the same time Melissa went missing, but it’s her friend’s disappearance that has always been the driving force behind what she does for others.
She has taken on dozens of MMIW cases pro bono, and provides general counsel for Medicine Wheel Ride — a non-profit that creates awareness and fundraises for issues affecting Indigenous people.
“I am very blessed,” she said. “I got to live a wonderful life. But then I think of Melissa and think she didn’t get to leave for college, she didn’t get to travel the world, she didn’t get the chance to go buy makeup at Sephora or go to nice restaurants – instead she got poverty and domestic abuse.”
Gomez takes the anger and sadness of her grief and the loss of Melissa’s life and uses it to help others who may have once been in Melissa’s shoes.
“All of the odds and all of the cycles I had to break to be an attorney and to be able to advocate missing and murdered indigenous relatives, I really think God put me in this place to be an attorney and I feel like this is my calling,” she said. “I try to help other families find their missing because I know what it’s like to have someone who’s gone.”
But now, it just may be her turn for some hope with the ball rolling in Melissa’s case.
“I think this also gives other families hope, because almost 24 years later, this is finally happening for us,” she said.
“I pray every day to please help me find her,” Gomez said. “I just worry that if I can’t find her, her spirit will wander all over, and then she will not be able to rest.”
Gomez said her main goal is to bring Melissa home to the reservation, to be buried with her parents next to the river.
“Just knowing that she is at peace – that’s what I want for her,” she said. “I can’t bear to think that her bones are just laying out there and no one has given her a proper prayer or shown her any love. We need her home.”
Anyone with information about Melissa’s disappearance is asked to call the Jicarilla Apache Nation Police Department at 575-759-3222 or reach out to them on their Facebook page.
The research team at New Mexico Tech has constructed and tested pheasant, mallard duck and pigeon drones and robots. The lead researcher wants them for wildlife monitoring but uses could vary.
Zombie duck drones monitor fellow wildlife
New Mexico Tech are fitting bird carcasses with drone technology to monitor wildlife and bird populations.
Zombie birds are no longer part of post-apocalyptic fiction; they may soon be among us. But in their newfound life, the birds aren’t looking for brains. They’re being used to further wildlife research.
Researchers at the New Mexico Tech Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro have spent the past two years developing drones and robots from the bodies of dead birds. Still in testing, the animatronic birds may be used to study avian formations, coloration and communication, in addition to other natural ecosystems.
These bird-like drones could solve some issues that wildlife researchers have experienced with traditional drones, said Mostafa Hassanalian, lead researcher and mechanical engineering professor at New Mexico Tech.
“Sometimes, you get a bird strike. The birds attack your drone. Your drone gets damaged and at the same time, the birds get hurt or they might be killed,” Hassanalian said. “Drones carry lots of noise. For example, if you are monitoring a herd of elephants in Africa for wildlife monitoring, they carry lots of noise and the animals would be scared and scatter.”
By creating “nature-inspired robotic systems,” Hassanalian hopes researchers can find more success in studying wildlife.
Here’s what you need to know, including whether the bird drones could be used outside of the animal kingdom.
Different birds for different purposes
Hassanalian and his students have worked with the bodies of three different types of birds throughout their research.
The first is a pheasant. Using a real taxidermy pheasant head and pheasant wings, the research team tested the creation of a drone with flapping wings. The purpose was to create a drone that could more naturally blend in with other pheasants for wildlife monitoring.
The team studied the wings of pheasants, flapping patterns, thrust and lift forces, among other characteristics to create a realistic drone.
The research team has also worked with dead mallard ducks to create two different types of robots − a swimming robot and a flying drone. The latter was designed and tested similarly to the pheasant, while the former required some new research and testing.
Rather than focusing on recreating flapping wings, the focus of the swimming duck robot was recreating feet that accurately replicated a duck’s that can glide through the water and dive down. Similar to airborne birds, the swimming duck robot could be used to monitor aquatic wildlife.
The latest of the research team’s work centers around stationary pigeons.
“They have a camera in the neck and this can basically do real-time video or broadcasting,” Hassanalian told USA TODAY. “Say you go in a national park and you want to study the wildlife and you want to have a stationary platform − there are some drones probably being used for that … You can put one of (these) there (in a tree) with the camera. It’s not distracting to the other birds that are around and then you can basically record the wildlife.”
Ultimately, Hassanalian said he would like to create a bird robot that can fly, swim and perch.
How do other birds react to the drones, robots?
While the research team has conducted meticulous research in order to accurately recreate different birds, in actuality, they don’t yet know how other birds would react to them. So far, the research team has only tested the drones and robots in controlled environments on New Mexico Tech’s campus, Hassanalian said.
“We know there’s a challenge that they might be attacked by other birds, but I mean, that’s a part of nature,” Hassanalian said with a laugh.
Hassanalian said his research team is looking at obtaining permission to fly the drones among real birds in non-simulated environments.
Where do the dead birds come from?
All of the birds that Hassanalian and his team use are naturally dead.
“They have all been ‘taxidermied’ by certified taxidermists. We purchase them and try to play with them,” he said. “We’re not asking a taxidermist to kill a bird and then do the taxidermy and give it to us.”
Surveillance potential
Hassanalian and his research team are only interested in studying the use of their bird-like drones to aid wildlife observation right now, but he recognizes that the technology could be used for surveillance, too.
“For future direction … types of taxidermy bird drones can be integrated for protecting the border,” Hassanalian said. “That’s another potential application. We have not been looking at that, but I’m just talking about the potential application.”
Throughout work on this project, Hassanalian has been made aware of concerns related to security and how the bird-like drones could be used for spying.
Several bird-centric conspiracy theories, like Birds Aren’t Real, have grown in popularity over the years, but Hassanalian said his research isn’t associated with any of them. Gaining traction around the COVID-19 pandemic, Birds Aren’t Real claimed that all real-life birds were replaced with “surveillance drones” in the 20th century. Despite its large following, Birds Aren’t Real was not a real conspiracy, but rather an online joke.
“I wasn’t aware of that conspiracy theory until I did this project,” Hassanalian said. “The possibility of any technology being repurposed in unintended ways is a valid concern. While our research aims to support scientific and environmental initiatives, we recognize that any technology could be misused if it falls into the wrong hands. This is why it is always crucial to have appropriate regulations, ethical guidelines and public dialogue around the development and use of drones.”
When it comes to the bird drones being used for spying, Hassanalian said it is not something he or his research team supports.
What’s next?
In addition to his work with bird drones, Hassanalian is researching the creation and implementation of dandelion-inspired drones to assist in seed dispersal.
“Bees, they are in edangered … they have a very important role in seed dispersals,” he said. “The dandelion drone we are developing, they also can be used for dispersing the seeds and bird drones can actually carry the dandelion drones in much more nature-friendly ways for seed dispersals.”
Though this implementation is still a ways out from being a reality, this research could have an impact on bee endangerment and pollination in the natural world.
Hassanalian said he also has an interest in creating and testing reptile and amphibian drones, such as lizards, frogs and snakes.
This story was updated to correct a spelling error.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.
New Mexico saw a record number of people in this election using same day registration. That made for some logistical challenges. Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver told New Mexico in Focus. Producer Jeff Proctor why she supports offering this option and why it’s increasingly popular.
MAGGIE TOULOUSE OLIVER: Actually, we’re still trying to process those numbers. We know that towards the end of the day on election day, over 8,000 on election day alone. It was so many that it literally crashed our system. We were able to get the system back up, but by that point, county clerks and their teams were already so overwhelmed that they were unable to keep up, which is totally understandable. So we started registering folks on paper, which is definitely part of the process. It’s provided for in law and rule. But our county clerks are still going through those and processing them and adding them. So if I had to guess, I think we’re going to have over 10,000 election same-day registrations alone.
NMPBS: Do we have a sense of affiliation split on the same day registrations?
TOULOSE OLIVER: Well, during early voting, Republicans were definitely taking advantage more than Democrats, and we saw that actually the first time we ever implemented same-day registration the first election in 2022 and a lot of that came from, you know, the Southeastern part of the state, where we have folks that are coming and living here. They’re working in the oil fields, right? And they’re working in potash and all these areas. And so we do have people who, you know, they’re not home in Texas or Oklahoma or Kansas, they’re here. They’re working, so this is where they’re voting. And, you know, I’ll be interested to see the geographics once we have a chance to analyze of where everybody came from this time.
NMPBS: Me too, just as a concept, Maggie, why do you think same-day registration is important for the larger mosaic of our elections?
TOULOUSE OLIVER: Well, you know, I’m just am, and always have been, a huge believer in having the biggest participation possible. Because when people of all backgrounds, you know, ages, colors, economic backgrounds, come together and have their voice made registered at the polls, we elect leaders that look and feel more like us as a people, right? It’s more representative, you know, 28 days before an election, which is the “registration deadline,” is really arbitrary, and people, especially younger people, are people who haven’t participated before. They don’t necessarily know that, right? And so we just really need to provide that opportunity for folks to make sure they can still participate, even if their daily lives and what they know about the voting process didn’t align with meeting a particular arbitrary deadline.
NMPBS: What is your motivation to continue doing this work, particularly in this political climate.
TOULOUSE OLIVER: Yeah, thank you, Jeff. It’s really hard. It has been hard always. I mean, this is incredibly stressful, incredibly time-consuming work. I found my calling when I became county clerk of Bernalillo County. I can’t think of anything more meaningful that I could be doing than making sure that the wheels of democracy continue to turn. I’m a huge believer. Yes, I’m a member of the Democratic Party, but I always like to say I’m a small d democrat too, because I’m just a big believer in our democracy. I will tell you when I had to make a decision about whether or not to run again for reelection in 2022 after everything that happened in 2020 and particularly, you know, threats to my life, my family, you know, having to relocate for weeks on end, uou know, working with the FBI, things like that, I really did have to dig deep to decide if that is what I wanted to continue to do. And I just decided that this isn’t the time. Our democracy is, you know, is at risk right now. It remains to be seen what the fallout of this particular election is, although I suspect it’s going to be extremely different from 2020, but it just felt like this was not the time to abandon this work. I’ve got two more years left in my term. I intend to see those all the way through and then figure out what’s next for me.
You can see the full interview online.
New Mexico State football is preparing for its toughest challenge this season.
The Aggies plays at another set of Aggies ― No. 14 Texas A&M ― at 5:45 p.m. Saturday. NM State earned a 31-10 win last season over Auburn in its latest SEC trip, but College Football Playoff-contending A&M presents a significantly tougher challenge.
Few coaches show fear though, and Aggies coach Tony Sanchez certainly isn’t one of them.
“They’re fighting to get into the playoffs. It’s a big deal for them,” Sanchez said on Monday. “We know it’s a challenge, but at the same time, we’re not afraid of the challenge. Our guys are ready to go. We’re ready to go scrap and we’ll see what happens on Saturday.”
Sanchez was complementary of A&M’s first-year coach Mike Elko, calling him a great hire and praising his decision to change from Conner Weigman to Marcel Reed at quarterback. He’s also doing everything he can to beat Elko’s team, from letting his players see Kyle Field on Friday for adjusting to the 102,733-capacity stadium, to emphasizing takeaways.
NM State (2-7, 1-5 Conference USA) believe the latter is something they can’t beat A&M (7-2, 5-1 SEC) without. NM State earned two takeaways in a 41-28 defeat to Western Kentucky last Saturday after going all of October without one, and hopes its defense plays “as one” in College Station.
“We just need to communicate better,” said senior safety Da’Marcus Crosby. We gotta be on the same page and trust one another. I feel like we are really starting to understand each other better and start to understand the scheme… we just got to start running our feet on tackles, on contact, punching at the ball, and being physical at the point of attack.”
Bet MGM has NM State as a 39.5-point underdog as of Monday afternoon, which would make a victory the third-largest point-spread upset in college football history. However, the Aggies are doing their best to make things business as usual.
“You don’t change your process based on your opponent,” Sanchez said. “It’s kind of your core, who you are. We had our regular practice last night, did our film session and got fired up… tomorrow’s practice will be no different than it was eight weeks ago.”
What’s the quarterback situation for NM State?
Junior Santino Marucci made his fourth start of the season against WKU, but split reps with senior Brandon Nunez in a two-quarterback system. Marucci threw for all of NM State’s 129 passing yards against the Hilltoppers, while Nunez was primarily used for running plays in a three-back formation and earned 34 rushing yards on eight carries.
Sanchez says he’ll continue splitting reps against Texas A&M, and likely for the rest of the season.
“They each bring something different to the table,” Sanchez said. “It’s a pain in the butt when you’re another team and you’re trying to prepare for both guys and two different types of offenses. It probably gives us the best chance to win. We’ll see how practice goes this week, but you’ll probably see both of those guys.”
Marucci is expected to earn his fifth start, which would become the most among Aggie quarterbacks in 2024. NM State is one of two FBS teams to have four quarterbacks throw five or more passes this season.
McGowan seeing continued growth
One of the Aggies’ best players this season has been Seth McGowan.
The running back has formed a dynamic duo with fellow junior Mike Washington, as NM State had two 100-yard rushers in a game for the first time since 2016. McGowan is currently the Aggies’ leading rusher at 636 yards in addition to four total touchdowns.
McGowan’s had to overcome off-field mistakes. Once at Oklahoma, he was dismissed after committing a drug-related crime with two other teammates and cycled through multiple junior colleges before earning a chance in Las Cruces. The Mesquite, Texas, native feels brand-new though, and believes he’s matured with the Aggies.
Even on a 2-7 team, he’s grateful to be playing FBS football again.
“Just reintroducing myself back to this game … and rolling with these guys, that’s what’s made it enjoyable,” McGowan said. “There’s so many things that I sacrificed to be here … I’m not a man that sees obstacles. I’m a man who sees opportunity.”
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