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SCSO asks for public's help in suspicious Placitas death case
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PLACITAS — Two years ago, a young woman was found dead and in the Cibola National Forest in Placitas. Now, law enforcement agencies are asking for the public’s help in identifying her.
Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference April 17 at the Sandoval County Emergency Operations Center to get the information out to the public. Several agencies, including FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Rio Rancho Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety are involved.
“The reason we brought you all here today is we need your help, and I’m asking for everyone’s help in identifying a Jane Doe,” Sheriff Jesse James Casaus said.
The woman, estimated to be 15-30 years old, is referred to as “Sandoval Star” by those on the case.
“She was just found deceased two years ago in Cibola National Forest, where she was left under a bridge and discovered by Placitas residents who were on foot in the area,” Casaus said.
He and detectives hope sharing information about Star will help them identify her and make progress on solving the case. There are no suspects at this time.
Lead detective Donald Chewning shared details about the case.
“On April 18, 2023, members of the Placitas Community were walking along Route 165 in the Cibola National Forest. They discovered the remains of the deceased female partially submerged in a creek under a bridge. The Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office responded to the city and determined that her death was suspicious in nature. The victim had no identification and was transported to the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator,” he said.
Due to the condition of her remains, they were unable to provide photos but did have a digital rendering of what she would look like. Chewning said it is not an exact likeness.
“Since that day, investigators have been attempting to identify this young woman who we are now calling Sandoval Star, and this was due to she had a dark blue shirt on with red stars,” he said.
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Initially investigators thought she was Native American but discovered April 14 that her DNA was biogeographically consistent with a person of Latin or Hispanic origin with roots in Meso-America, or central Mexico and up, and South America.
“She was approximately 5 feet tall, 15-30 years of age. She was dressed in a dark blue shirt with red stars and was wearing dark shorts,” Chewning said.
She did not have any identifying scars, tattoos or marks, according to Chewning.
Star has been entered into missing unidentified persons, DNA identification and other platforms to help with her identification as well.
The only clue Chewning said they have around her death is spray-painted graffiti on the bridge where she was found. Chewning said this indicates the spot may be frequented by a group. However, he clarified that the graffiti may or may not be related to the case.
He said that some of the difficulties in identifying Star stem from funding DNA and manpower issues.
“We don’t know if Sandoval Star was a member of our community during her lifetime, but we now consider her one of them. We are certain she has family members who care about her. They’ve been wondering where she is the past two years,” Chewning said with emotion. “There are times when individuals may disappear from our lives for a variety of reasons and we may be reluctant to report them missing, hoping that they will return. It’s never too late to come forward, and we’re asking for your help, no matter how insignificant you think the information is.”
Chewning stated there is no present danger to the community because the case is two years old and is a singular incident. He did not, however, reveal her cause of death due to the ongoing investigation.
Sandoval County Manager Wayne Johnson doubled down on the importance of getting the information to the public.
“The important part of this is getting the word out to our communities and around the state. We have no idea whether this woman was from one of our communities for whether she was from Albuquerque or some other state or even some other countries,” he said.
Anyone with information on this case or who knows the identity of Sandoval Star can contact the Sandoval County’s Sheriff’s Office at 505-867-7350, which is a dedicated phone line for this case. People can also contact the 1-800-call-FBI.
Sandoval County Marketing and Communications Department has constructed a dedicated Facebook page for the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office unsolved cases as well.
This case will be updated as the investigation progresses, Chewning said.
