Investigative Stories
Delayed Discovery: Police received reports of hidden body months before recovery
| June 25, 2020 :: Las Vegas Optic
The horrific smell coming from the structure was obvious, even from the outskirts of the property. Trash, furniture and other debris cluttered the lawn and prompted someone living in the west side neighborhood to contact the city about the mess… READ MORE
Piecing it together: Picture of June homicide takes shape as DA continues investigation
| Jan. 21, 2020 :: Las Vegas Optic
She was near the front door when the shot was fired. A single bullet pierced the man’s rib cage, just below his right armpit. “They got me,” 27-year-old Cruz Gallegos said as he stumbled past her, through the front door and into the darkness of the early June morning, hours before sunrise. The shooter then pointed the gun at her…. READ MORE
One Way Out: July homicide tied to violent New Mexico prison gang
| Feb. 14, 2020 :: Las Vegas Optic
A car horn disrupted the quiet July evening. Then came the gunshots. Three bullets that killed Leroy “Smurf” Lucero, leaving his wife without a husband, and his four children without their father. His violent death also shifted the focus of a nearly five-year-long FBI investigation to Las Vegas…. READ MORE
Sold for Sex
| March. 27, 2019 :: Santa Fe Reporter
Sex trafficking plagues New Mexico women; however, because there’s no uniform definition of the crime, a lot of it goes undetected…. READ MORE
Smoking Gun: Man ID’d in 2018 deadly shooting remains free
| Dec. 13, 2019 :: Las Vegas Optic
On a cold Sunday morning, just 21 days into 2018, the sound of gunfire shattered the peace in a small west side neighborhood nestled between Luis E. Armijo Elementary and an Allsup’s convenience store. A man reported the incident to police dispatchers at 10:44 a.m. “There’s been a shooting. They just killed someone,” the caller told a dispatch operator…. READ MORE
A summer of secrets: Police provide little information on multiple homicides, while skirting state law
| Sept. 13, 2019 :: Las Vegas Optic
The Las Vegas Police Department is investigating four homicides and one non-fatal shooting. To date, charges have been filed in just one case. Police have provided the public with very little information on these incidents, and have denied multiple open records requests. Read more here: LasVegasOptic.com
Federal warrant names suspects in Las Vegas homicides
| Sept. 20, 2019 :: Las Vegas Optic
A recently unsealed search warrant filed in U.S. District Court shines some light on a deadly summer in Las Vegas…. READ MORE
Concerns arise over anonymous reporting app
| Sept. 14, 2018 :: Las Vegas Optic
Las Vegas City Schools will soon introduce a smartphone application designed to make it easier for students to report inappropriate or dangerous activities happening on campus…. READ MORE
