Woman sentenced to 30 years in abuse, neglect case that led to the death of disabled woman

RIO RANCHO, New Mexico (KVIA) -- Monday, a 13th Judicial District Court judge sentenced Angelita Chacon to 30 years in prison for the abuse and neglect that led to the death of Mary Melero, a woman with developmental disabilities, in 2023.

In February 2023, Melero was found by Customs and Border Patrol agents in a van near the U.S.-Mexico border, severely dehydrated, drugged, and bearing open wounds and chronic bedsores with exposed bone. The NMDOJ charged Chacon, and her co-defendant Patricia Hurtado following Melero’s death in April 2023 as previously reported by ABC-7.

Chacon was charged with Abuse of a Resident Resulting in Death, False Imprisonment, and Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping.

“Mary Melero deserved to be safe, protected, and treated with dignity,” said Attorney General Raúl Torrez. “Instead, she was subjected to horrific abuse by someone entrusted with her care, and her life was tragically cut short. Today’s maximum sentence sends a clear message, those who abuse vulnerable New Mexicans and violate the trust placed in them will be held accountable. This case was especially egregious, and our office will continue working to ensure that people with developmental disabilities are protected and that those responsible for harming them face justice.”

In June 2025, the defendants were taken back into custody after violating release conditions by tampering with GPS monitors and contacting each other.

In addition to her prison sentence, Chacon has also been ordered to pay $3.3 million dollars, along with her co-defendant Hurtado, as restitution for her criminal actions, including $2.5 million directly to the victim’s estate. Officials say the restitution in the amount of $861,649.47 goes to the State of New Mexico, while $2.5 million is to go to the estate of the victim, Mary Melero.

Melero was enrolled in the Developmental Disabilities Waiver (DD Waiver) Program, previously administered by the New Mexico Department of Health (DOH). Chacon was contracted to provide care for Melero and was receiving approximately $5,000 a month under the DD Waiver Program for services that were insufficiently rendered. 

In September of last year, Hurtado agreed to provide critical testimony against Chacon, pay her share of the $3.3 million in restitution, and serve five years in prison.

The NMDOJ took the lead on this case, joined by several other assisting state and federal agencies – foremost among them the El Paso FBI Field Office – the New Mexico State Police, Rio Rancho Police Department, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico and the Albuquerque FBI Field Office.

This case was investigated by the NMDOJ’s Medicaid Fraud and Elder Abuse Bureau (MFEAB).