Sandoval County investigators identify remains as Mexican national Victoria de la Rosa, ask public for tips

Sheriff Casaus and county detectives announced on April 18, 2026, that remains found in the Cibola National Forest in spring 2023 have been identified as Mexican national Victoria de la Rosa, and officials asked the public to provide any information that could advance an active homicide investigation.

Detective Donald Tuning of the Sandoval County Sheriff's Office said the victim also used other names, including Maria Guadalupe Hernandez de la Rosa and Lupe Hernandez, and was originally from Huichitepeque, Mexico. "No detail is too small," Detective Tuning said, urging anyone who knew Victoria or her family to contact the Sandoval County Sheriff's Office tip line at (505) 867-7350 or submit a tip to the FBI in Albuquerque; anonymous reports can be requested.

The identification followed multiple forensic efforts, Tuning said. Investigators attempted forensic genetic genealogy without success, then re-imaged the victim's fingerprints and obtained a match in a Department of Homeland Security database that allowed authorities to identify her and continue investigative work. "Once we identified her, we were able to move forward with the case," Tuning said, adding that the case remains active and that some details cannot be shared.

Justin Garris, special agent in charge of the FBI's Albuquerque Field Office, said the FBI has contributed laboratory, critical incident response and legal-attache resources, including liaison work in Mexico. "We strongly encourage you to come forward with any information you may have that may assist with this investigation," Garris said, reiterating the federal partnership in the local probe.

Patricia Pinson, consul of Mexico in Albuquerque, expressed the consulate's solidarity with the victim's family and said the consulate assisted in repatriating the remains to Mexico in the fall of the previous year. She cited the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and pledged continued support for Mexican nationals.

Tuning told reporters the Sheriff's Office is a small department covering roughly 3,700 square miles and that outside agencies—including the FBI, the Office of the Medical Investigator and the Bureau of Indian Affairs—have provided technical help and, in the BIA's case, paid for DNA testing. He also noted that an autopsy was being performed by OMI on remains recovered the previous day that he said are not related to this investigation.

No suspects were publicly named and Tuning said "anyone's a suspect" while investigators work to determine what happened. As the investigation continues, authorities reiterated the request for tips and emphasized that the case is active.

The Sheriff's Office and the FBI said they will continue to work with the Mexican consulate and the victim's family; investigators did not set a public deadline for the inquiry and did not disclose further operational details because of the active status of the investigation.