A 73-year-old Randy Wade died from his injuries after being attacked by two dogs outside his home in a quiet New Mexico town of Santa Rosa. This brings the total number of fatal dog attacks in the state to 14 since 2006, including the fatal dog attacks in New Mexico and on tribal lands.
Wade’s death was not the first in the state.
New Mexico has recorded at least 14 fatalities from dog attacks since 2006, beginning with the death of Juan Garcia in Gallina, Rio Arriba County. The 53‑year‑old Garcia was killed in May 2006 by a pit bull that had escaped from a pen, according to investigators.
Four years later, 55-year-old Larry Armstrong was attacked by a pack of dogs near Gallup on Navajo Nation land. Deputies found the dogs still biting him. Armstrong later died at the hospital, and authorities included his death in the 2011 fatality statistics.
It was followed by another death linked to the Easter Sunday killing in April 2011, when 48-year-old Margaret Salcedo died from her wounds after she was attacked by four pit bulls while walking in Truth or Consequences.
The following year saw three people in New Mexico killed in dog attacks. These included 15-month-old Jazilyn Mesa, who was killed by her father’s pit bull in Las Cruces, 74-year-old Clifford Wright, who was mauled by a pit bull in Santa Fe, and eight-year-old Tomas Jay Henio, who was killed by a pack of dogs in Cibola County.
By the end of 2012, there had been six fatal dog attacks in New Mexico over the previous eight years. At that time, the state had one of the highest per-capita rates of fatal dog attacks in the country.
In December 2013, 41-year-old Michal Nelson was killed by one of her pit bulls at her property near Belen. She had about 12 pit bulls, and several were later surrendered and euthanized due to aggressive behavior.
In July 2016, a pack of dogs killed three-year-old Kayden Begay in Seba Dalkai on the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation later recognized this death as part of an ongoing problem with fatal dog attacks on tribal lands.
Dog attack deaths continued into the next decade.
A new decade of dog attacks
In January 2020, a caller told investigators that the lifeless body of 52-year-old Kay Torres was found surrounded by dogs. Authorities believe it was an attack by a pack of dogs on Taos Pueblo tribal land.
Authorities recorded two separate fatal dog attacks in New Mexico the following year.
A pack of dogs killed 53-year-old Jose Ortega in Veguita. Investigators took 10 pit bull mixes into custody. The owner faced felony charges, including having a dangerous dog that caused a person’s death and tampering with evidence.
In the same year, six-year-old Avery Jackson-Dunphy was killed by dogs fostered at his grandparents’ home in Doña Ana County. Three members of her family were charged over her death.
Two years later, Saudi-American Saad Al-Anazi was attacked by two German shepherds owned by neighbors outside his home in Fairacres near Las Cruces. Al-Anazi died from his injuries the following day.
And in February 2023, while walking near 11th Street in Tucumcari, 64-year-old Stanley Hartt was killed by a pack of five dogs. A deputy shot one dog, and the others were taken into animal control custody. Hartt died at the scene.
In 2024, the dogs’ owners, Kristopher Jaquarias Morris and his mother, Mary Olimpia Montoya, pleaded guilty to charges, such as prohibited acts involving a dangerous dog that caused a death. Morris received six years in prison, serving roughly four and three-quarters years after credit. His mother received a lesser jail term under a plea deal.
New Mexico State Police said its Investigations Bureau is now handling Wade’s case.
