The homicides of New Mexico residents Thomas and Judy McKnight, Stephen Sandlin, Jack Lee Elckins, Annie Tapia, Judy and Gary Wilson and Erilaina Chavez, haven’t been solved yet but the newly formed Cold Case Unit at New Mexico’s Department of Justice hasn’t forgotten them.

Attorney General Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced the formation of the new unit during a press conference in Santa Fe today. It’s the first time the Department of Justice has had a Cold Case Unit. 

“Not knowing what happened, not having answers, that’s the hardest thing for a victim’s family and I want them to know that we will do everything in our power to deliver justice, no matter how long it takes,” he said. 

The Unit has three full-time sworn law enforcement agents who are currently reviewing and investigating the six cases, two cases from the 1980s, three from the 1990s and one from the 2010s.

Torrez said the Cold Case Unit is already working with law enforcement agencies from across the state. He said they are using “the most advanced techniques in forensic genetic genealogy to try and generate leads.”

“I encourage every member of the public and every agency, big or small, to reach out and partner with us to try and solve any outstanding homicide and sexual assault cases that have gone cold,” he said. 

The following are brief descriptions of the unit’s first six cases: 

  • Thomas and Judy McKnight were found dead in their Lincoln County home on Nov. 15, 1984. They had been shot execution-style in their kitchen.
  • Stephen Sandlin was a Mountainair Police Patrolman, and was shot inside the police department on May 7, 1988. 
  • The body of Angie Tapia was found at the San Franciscan Liquors/Rocking Tee Pee in Santa Fe on March 23, 1995. The medical investigator ruled her death a homicide, and her cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. 
  • Valencia County resident Jack Elkins was found dead in his home from a single gunshot wound on Nov. 7, 1992. His home was behind his business, the Correro Trading Post, located on Old Highway 66 near I-40.
  • Judy and Gary Wilson were reported missing on Nov. 9, 1995, in rural Catron County. The Wilson’s were last seen on Nov. 8. Their truck was located on Dec. 30 several miles southeast of their subdivision, and on Sept. 1, 1996, their bodies were found in the Johnson Basin by hikers. They had apparently been shot to death. 
  • Erilaina Chavez died Jan. 10, 2017 on Highway 118 near Gallup. An unknown person was riding in her truck with her, shot her, and pushed her out on the roadway. She was still alive when her body was found. Her truck was found two days later at the Manuelito Chapter House.  

If anyone has tips regarding these homicides, they can contact the Cold Case Unit tip line at 505-570-5244, or email the unit directly at coldcase@nmag.gov