Examiner IDs remains found near border as 43-year-old woman

CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — A medical examiner has identified human remains found in southeast New Mexico last year near the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Carlsbad Current-Argus reported that the medical investigator’s office at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in Albuquerque identified the remains as 43-year-old Brandi Fernandez.

An autopsy determined Fernandez died from a gunshot wound to the head in a homicide.

The skeletal remains were found in March 2020 by hikers in a rural wash south of the community of Malaga.

The Eddy County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death and offering a reward of up to $4,000 for anyone with information that leads to a suspect or arrest.