A 34-year-old Truchas man with a stab wound to the neck was found Dec. 5 in the Santa Cruz river in Chimayó, according to State Police and the state Office of the Medical Investigator.
Although the Office is awaiting test results before releasing a cause of death for David Romero, State Police is investigating his death as a homicide, State Police Sgt. Chris Valdez said.
Office records technician Anthony Cervantes said the stab wound was in Romero’s lower neck, near the collarbone.
The Office has not yet advised State Police when Romero died and when he was left in the river. The body was found underneath a bridge at the bottom of Private Drive 1433 just behind the Lighthouse Church off of State Road 76.
There are currently no suspects in the case, but State Police have interviewed several people of interest found through tips from community members, Valdez said. Romero’s brother Fernando said police told his mother that they were interviewing an unidentified Truchas resident.
“I feel that (the police are) doing the very best,” Romero’s mother Debra Romero said Tuesday.
At the time of his death, David Romero had been living in Truchas with his parents Ricky and Debra and had been working as a union carpenter, Fernando Romero said. He had four children from two previous relationships: Samantha, 15, Brandon, 14, Haily, 7, and Chantel, 5.
Debra Romero last spoke to her son on the phone Dec. 3, Fernando Romero said. The family received the news of his death from Romero’s girlfriend Lorie Moya, whom police had contacted after finding her phone number with his body, Fernando Romero said. Romero planned to marry Moya, who had become paralyzed about three months ago because of a tumor on her spine, Fernando Romero said.
Romero’s father was indicted earlier this year after he allegedly shot Elijio Padilla in his car March 22 in Truchas. His trial on charges of shooting from or into a vehicle, aggravated battery and tampering with evidence is scheduled for Jan. 29.
In December 2007, David Romero pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance and had a charge of aggravated battery stemming from a Feb. 4, 2006, incident dropped by the prosecution, according to an online court records database. He was sentenced to three years of probation.
David Romero loved going fishing and hunting, Debra Romero said.
Romero’s funeral was delayed because of Tuesday’s power outage.
“We’re trying to do it as soon as possible,” Debra Romero said. “He needs to rest.”