Woman’s remains finally claimed 3 years after $850K Doña Ana County death settlement to her family

UPDATE: Heather Bubrig will receive a proper burial after all, according to Doña Ana County.

A county spokeswoman said after a friend of Bubrig's friend saw ABC-7's report, she paid the $600 to give her a proper burial in Ruidoso.

According to the county, the friend has no connection to the family's $850,000 settlement. The woman asked to remain anonymous.

ORIGINAL REPORT: FAIRACRES, New Mexico - Her family may have settled for hundreds of thousands of dollars in connection with her 2017 death, but three years later, Doña Ana County officials say no one has claimed the body of Heather Bubrig.

In October 2017, authorities say a reserve deputy with the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Department shot and killed the 37-year-old woman in Fairacres. As ABC-7 reported, she was accused of rushing him with an axe.

That deputy was cleared of Bubrig's death, but her family still sued and settled for $850,000, according to documents obtained by ABC-7.

Three years later, county officials say no one has claimed her remains.

“It is sad when somebody has passed away and there is no one there willing to receive the body and provide that individual with a service," said Jamie Michael, the Health & Human Services Director at Doña Ana County.

Next week, the county plans to bury Bubrig in a large grave alongside the remains of 31 other people who died in Doña Ana County. No one has claimed any of the remains.

“Our team at the county really feels an obligation and I think they’re happy to have that obligation to provide people with a service at the end of life," Michael said.

Despite having received an $850,000 settlement in connection with her death, Michael confirmed that no one has come forward to pay the $600 to claim Bubrig's body.

“During those two years, if a family or a friend does come forward and would like to claim the remains, they’re able to do so," Michael said.