Las Cruces police investigating death of elderly woman as homicide

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- The Las Cruces Police Department is investigating the death of an elderly woman as a homicide, according to a release from the department on Tuesday.

Police say that patrol officers made a welfare check at a home on the 100 block of west Madrid Road on Sunday. A deceased woman was found inside the home, now identified by police as 80-year-old Maria Rodriguez.

The circumstances of her death were deemed suspicious, and detectives from the Criminal Investigation Section are now actively investigating the case as a homicide.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the Las Cruces Police Department at (575) 526-0795.