Farmington Issues Missing Person Alerts; AWARE Foundation and Deputy Skaggs Ask Public

Farmington Police Department issued a missing-person alert that names juvenile Martina Ben, last seen Feb. 1; Jeana Wehe, last seen Jan. 25; and 48-year-old Leatrice Thompson, and says the AWARE Foundation and Deputy Skaggs are amplifying calls for public assistance. The alert and the amplification were provided to the public in material from the department; the amplification was specifically attributed to the AWARE Foundation and Deputy Skaggs.

The department’s workload on missing-person cases is substantial: Farmington Police Department is actively investigating 17 missing-person cases, the department’s reporting shows. A year-by-year tally provided in recent reporting lists 35 people reported missing “this year” with police continuing to search for seven, 162 people reported missing in 2023 with “all but five were found,” 115 in 2022 with three still open, 90 in 2021 with one case open, and 100 in 2020 with all located. The reporting also notes demographic detail: “Of the missing, 11 are Native Americans and four of them are women.”

Investigators say these cases can be unusually difficult. “Some of these people have warrants, and they don’t want to see us,” Sgt. Justin Anaya said, adding that “all of the avenues that we use to investigate other cases, these types of cases don’t have them.” A separate passage of reporting summarized investigators’ experience: investigators “often have little or no evidence to work with, and oftentimes the missing person just doesn’t want to be found. This leaves investigators searching for years, if not decades, to help families find their loved ones.”

Farmington’s leadership has signaled a willingness to take reports and assist other agencies. Chief Steve Hebbe said, “It’s just a good partner gesture. If other agencies are in the position to help, we can.” Hebbe added, “I think there’s so many of them across the state. We certainly have a lot in the Four Corners area.” Lt. Shaun Goodsell said, “The chief is very passionate about missing persons. Many of our missing people have been seen in small communities on the reservation. No one has taken those cases, but because of the importance of them, if we can find some nexus to Farmington, we will do what we can.”

Detective Daven Badoni is assigned to missing-person investigations; on one case he noted, “The family came here to report him missing,” referring to Calvin Martinez, whose family is from Huerfano and Nageezi. The alert naming Martina Ben, Jeana Wehe and Leatrice Thompson contains no additional physical descriptions, case numbers, or photos in the material released.

A separate San Juan County Sheriff’s Office matter underscores the long timelines in these inquiries. Blanco resident Sharron Holcomb was last seen at 1 p.m. on Nov. 18, 2014, driving away from her Farmington business Holcomb Oil and Gas Co.; her car was later found at the family home in Bloomfield. Her remains were discovered July 3 near the 77 mile marker on Highway 64; Captain Kevin Burns said, “She was wearing the same clothes that she was reported last seen in,” listing “brown corduroy pants and a brown turtle neck.” Burns said the remains were sent to the Office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque and that “through normal processes, through dental records, the body was identified positively as Sharron Holcomb,” but the Sheriff’s Office has “not received the report back on the findings,” which would include a possible cause of death. Court records show litigation and financial filings tied to the Holcomb family, and a probate filing on May 31, 2022 states in court documents that she died Nov. 18, 2019, a date that conflicts with the 2014 disappearance and requires clarification.

Farmington investigators and the AWARE Foundation continue to request tips from anyone with information about the named missing people; the department’s active caseload and the pending forensic reports in the Holcomb matter mean investigations will continue as agencies seek records, case numbers and additional leads.