On Sunday, November 3, 2024, officials took canines out to search a property in Archuleta County, Colorado, in connection to the case of Melissa Montoya, a New Mexico woman who has been missing since March of 2001.
Dateline spoke with Sheriff Mike Le Roux of the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office, who said that while the Jicarilla Apache Nation Police Department in New Mexico is the lead agency on the investigation, his office became involved because the property falls within their jurisdiction. “They contacted us to search the property,” Le Roux said.
It was a known property to authorities, as it had been searched after the 42-year-old first disappeared more than two decades ago.
Just a few months ago, Dateline featured Melissa’s story in our online “Missing in America” series.
In July, we spoke with Darlene Gomez, an attorney who has been advocating for MMIW -- Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women -- cases for more than 20 years. Part of Darlene’s journey to advocacy stems from her personal relationship with Melissa Montoya.
In 2001, Melissa lived with her boyfriend on that property in Colorado, just across the border from New Mexico. Their home was a half hour’s drive north of Melissa’s hometown of Dulce, New Mexico, on the Jicarilla Apache Nation Reservation. Darlene said that in March of that year, Melissa was making a big change. “She was back in New Mexico,” Darlene said. “She was in the process of ending that relationship with her then-boyfriend.”
On March 9, 2001, Melissa went out to a St. Patrick’s Day party at a local bar called the Apache House of Liquor. The bar, which was nicknamed “The Zoo,” is no longer in business.
“She walked out the door that night and has never been seen since,” Darlene told Dateline.
In July, Dateline spoke with Jicarilla Apache Nation Police Department Criminal Investigator Chris Rafferty, who said their agency began investigating Melissa’s case “within a month after she went missing.”
Rafferty told Dateline authorities did speak with the boyfriend after Melissa vanished, and he told them he didn’t know anything about her disappearance. Rafferty said the boyfriend was considered a suspect in the case, but he died not long after Melissa vanished. Shortly after his death, his home on the Colorado property burned down.
More than two decades later, officials brought canines out to search the land again. Jicarilla Apache Chief of Police Joseph Schake, told Dateline the search came about following a review of the department’s open cold cases. “Our criminal investigators began to dig into these unresolved cases and trying to do further with them, and that led to that search there,” he said.
“We’re looking at probably a 50-acre area in which to search,” Sheriff Le Roux told Dateline. “We briefed at 8:00 yesterday morning and we concluded, I think, around 2:30-ish in the afternoon.”
During the search, the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office was joined by the Jicarilla Apache Nation Police Department and an external team of dog handlers from New Mexico and Colorado. “I think, truly, it was a collaborative effort,” Sheriff Le Roux said.
Darlene Gomez attended the search with a few of Melissa’s cousins. She is grateful the search even happened. “I mean, just -- completely grateful that the property owners allowed us to have that search,” Darlene told Dateline on Monday.
“It’s a long period of time that has passed since she went missing until we did this search,” Sheriff Le Roux said. He says his understanding is that the canines “have the ability to detect human remains in excess of 20 years.”
“We’ve covered a huge area. The search conditions yesterday were perfect,” the sheriff noted. “Probably the best search conditions that we could have had.” The conditions did not lead to any answers. “Out of the three dogs, we didn’t get any positive identification for anything,” Le Roux said. “We believe we’ve exhausted that particular property for now.”
The sheriff notes two impediments to success on Sunday, the first being the fire that destroyed the home. “There is potential, you know, for that to compromise the search,” he said. Plus, other buildings have been put up on the property in the intervening years. “Where there wasn’t anything, we now have residences there, which would, you know, to an extent, affect the ability to search below that.”
Sheriff Le Roux maintains that all the agencies involved remain dedicated to finding answers for Melissa and her family. “Our commitment is to make sure that all families get closure for missing loved ones, regardless of who they are and where they’re from,” he said.
Jicarilla Apache Chief of Police Joseph Schake echoed that sentiment. “We are going to continue to do anything and everything we can to resolve this situation and try to bring closure to the family,” he told Dateline.
And even though they did not find Melissa, Darlene is comforted by the fact that the search could bring hope to other families. “I think this also gives other families hope, because almost 24 years later, this is finally happening for us,” she said, meaning it’s never too late to search for answers.
While no additional searches are planned, Darlene says if any additional information comes to light, officials told her they’d be willing and able to search. “They are open to doing new searches based on tips that may come in,” she said.
Sheriff Le Roux told Dateline the same thing. “If anybody does remember anything, we’d be happy to pursue leads,” he said.
Both Darlene and Sheriff Le Roux encourage anyone who may know anything about the location of Melissa Montoya to please come forward and contact the police with any tips or leads.
If you have information, you can contact the Jicarilla Apache Nation Police Department at 575-759-3222 or reach out to them via their Facebook page.
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