Adrian Hedden

Artesia Daily Press

achedden@currentargus.com

A human skeleton was found along the train tracks near North 1st Street in Artesia, and police are investigating the discovery as a homicide.

A train conductor with BNSF alerted police to the remains at about 2:50 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29, after seeing what initially appeared to be a decomposed foot along the tracks in the 300 block of North First Street, near a loading dock for a tire warehouse operated by Artesia Ford Company.

The rest of the body was found beneath the dock after police responded, said Commander Pete Quinones with the Artesia Police Department.

Quinones said it was unclear which specific bones were found, but that all the remains at the scene were recovered. Quinones said the incident, like all death investigations, was being treated as a homicide until evidence is found to the contrary.

“We have to look at every death investigation as a homicide until we have evidence that it is not,” he said.

Initial reports indicated the remains appeared to be at the location for more than a year, and that the foot bone appeared to have been dragged from the dock to the tracks, possibly “by an animal,” Quinones said.

The area is occasionally frequented by people who are homeless and sleep nearby under the dock, Quinones said. He said investigators planned to canvass the area and speak with people nearby, searching for any information leading to the identity of the body and manner of death.

“It is a kind of like a hidden area back behind the train tracks,” Quinones said. “We are still trying to follow leads and investigate this.”

The remains were sent to the University of New Mexico’s Laboratory of Osteology for analysis to determine the possible cause of death and any trauma apparent on the remains.

Cadaver dogs were deployed by police working with the Office of the Medical Investigator on Tuesday to search for additional evidence. Quinones said police also were checking missing persons reports in the area, hoping to uncover the identity of the deceased.

The investigation is ongoing. Stay with the Artesia Daily Press for updates as information is made available.

Managing Editor Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.