Woman swept away, drowns in flash flood near Ruidoso Downs

RUIDOSO DOWNS, New Mexico — A 47-year-old woman died while trying to drive her car through flood waters in Lincoln County over the holiday weekend, New Mexico State Police confirmed to ABC affiliate KOAT on Tuesday.

According to officials, police were notified about a vehicle that got stuck in high water on Alamo Canyon Road in the unincorporated community of Hondo, which is located about five miles downstream from Ruidoso Downs.

When officers arrived, they said they found the vehicle had been swept away due to flash flooding and the driver was not in the car.

Police later Monday found the driver, Heather Garrett, further downstream from where her car was caught in the floodwaters.