Skeletal remains found at Rio Communities demolition site ruled historical, not criminal

A demolition crew clearing an abandoned car dealership for a Maverik gas station in Rio Communities stopped work after uncovering what appeared to be human skeletal remains at the corner of N.M. 47 and Manzano Expressway late Tuesday, April 21.

Valencia County Sheriff’s Office Detective Ben Lankasky said the crew called law enforcement immediately, and investigators secured the site. Because the remains were skeletal rather than fresh tissue, the Office of the Medical Investigator was brought in to examine the discovery.

By Wednesday morning, April 22, forensic anthropologist Heather Edgar, who works with OMI and teaches at the University of New Mexico, was on scene to help assess the bones. Lankasky said her review looked at clues such as soil disturbance, tooth wear and other markers that help determine whether remains are modern or historical.

That review changed the direction of the case. Lankasky said the bones were not considered criminal or medical concerns because of their apparent age, and the scene was no longer being treated as a possible crime scene. Instead, the site is being turned over to the New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies for further assessment and possible recovery of additional material.

The next phase matters for both the project and the community. The Office of Archaeological Studies says its mission is to understand and preserve New Mexico’s archaeological heritage, and state law allows permits for excavating human burials discovered during construction or other land modification, with concurrence from the state archaeologist and the state historic preservation officer. That process is designed to protect remains that may be archaeological or historic rather than criminal.

For Rio Communities, where the population is about 4,925, the find briefly interrupted a development that had already drawn local attention. A 2024 city agenda included a Maverik special use permit for a fueling station, and a previous business report said leaders expected construction to take about nine months. The old dealership had reportedly been vandalized, burned and used by vagrants for years, making the cleanup a visible sign of change on a well-traveled stretch of Valencia County road.

What happens next is a careful review of the remains themselves. Archaeologists will assess whether more material is present and determine whether the bones can be identified by age, sex or other markers. If the remains are tied to a historic burial, the case would move through preservation procedures rather than criminal investigation, and any family notification would depend on whether a named individual or known burial can ultimately be established.