Las Cruces woman hopes for renewed investigation into sister’s death

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA)-- -- A Las Cruces woman is pleading with the Sheriff's Department to reopen a death investigation involving her sister.

It happened nearly 40 years ago between Vado and Berino, along Highway 478.

A then 17-year-old Maria Molina was found dead along the train tracks there. The death was ruled 'undetermined' by the medical examiner. But Molina's family believes someone killed her and staged the scene.

They say despite reaching out to law enforcement several times to get the case reopened, their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

For her part, Dona Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart acknowledged that the investigation back in 1983 could have been more thorough, stressing that her department does care.

She pointed to state testing capabilities as being part of the problem, saying there is only one lab in the state of New Mexico, and it currently only works homicides unless there is an actionable lead.