ALBUQUERQUE, NM – A local man has been arrested after police found his mother’s corpse concealed in a freezer at their shared Albuquerque home, officials revealed Thursday. The gruesome discovery ended weeks of deceit in which the woman was reported missing yet lived a seemingly ordinary life.
Leroy Felix Vallejos, 49, faces charges of murder and tampering with evidence following the investigation into the death of his 69-year-old mother, Ernestina Lucero. Investigators believe Lucero was killed about three weeks before her body was found on Wednesday, following a report by a relative who questioned her sudden absence.
The investigation escalated when a family member couldn’t reach Lucero and reported her missing on Oct. 23, leading to a police welfare check at her residence on Rhode Island Street NE. Vallejos, answering the door, misled officers by claiming that Lucero had traveled to Mexico with her boyfriend, a story that quickly unraveled when police found her medication untouched.
Upon further search of the house, officers uncovered hidden trash bags in a freezer, suspected to contain human remains. Blood traces under the kitchen sink supported their grim suspicions. The subsequent autopsy confirmed the identity and method of death, revealing Lucero had been strangled.
In a disturbing confession, Vallejos told detectives he killed his mother due to paranoia, claiming she was part of a nefarious group intent on harming him. This detail paints a chilling picture of Vallejos’s mental state at the time of the murder.
Further investigation showed that Vallejos had been actively withdrawing money from Lucero’s bank account and even sold her vehicle, indicating premeditation and financial motives behind masking his mother’s murder. His call to Lucero’s home health care provider, requesting payment, suggested an effort to maintain a facade of normalcy.
Vallejos remains detained at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center, awaiting trial without the possibility of bond. The details of his legal representation remain unclear as the case continues to develop.
This incident has shocked the community, with neighbors describing the area as quiet and uneventful until the discovery. They reported no previous signs of disturbance at the home, which has now become the center of a horrifying crime scene.
As the investigation presses on, authorities have not ruled out the possibility of additional charges based on newfound evidence. The outcomes of this case may provide further insights into the circumstances that culminated in this tragic event.
In the meantime, law enforcement and forensic experts are working to piece together the timeline of Lucero’s final days, hoping to offer some closure to her grieving family and the disturbed community.