2 arrests made in Alamogordo ‘cold case’ murder of teen in 2017

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- The Dona Ana County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday the arrests of two suspects in connection with the 2017 slaying of then 18-year-old Dakota Lunceford.

Sheriff's officials say they served arrest warrants on Bryanna Michelle Terry and Justin Bullock, both of Alamogordo.

Dakota Lunceford had been found in August 2017 in a ditch in Mesilla.

But by fall of 2017, leads had run dry.

Detective Ileana Adame, however, resumed work on this cold case this year and conducted forensic evaluations of several cell phones, which had been seized from Terry and Bullock at the time of the initial investigation.

Both had been arrested and held in connection with the homicide back in 2017. They faced other charges but were not charged in the homicide.

Both have now been charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery.

Both were booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center.