Man who helped thwart attempted kidnapping killed in crash

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — An 18-year-old Las Cruces man who was hailed as a hero for helping thwart a 2020 attempted kidnapping and assault has died in a motorcycle crash.

Police said Canaan Bower was killed Wednesday when his motorcycle collided with a car making a turn.

Bower was a 16-year-old high school wrestler when he body-slammed a man who allegedly punched a woman at a bus stop and demanded she turn over her three children to him.

Bower intervened and held the man for sheriff’s deputies.

Bower’s mother said on social media that her son lived life to the fullest and “will be forever missed."