By Roger Lanse

On Saturday, June 10, 2023, at about 7:24 a.m., Grant County Sheriff's Office deputies were dispatched to Highway 152 – MM 24.3, where a vehicle had been found in a deep canyon by a hiker. According to a GCSO offense report, the silver Toyota truck's license plate returned to a Thomas Peter Lane of Angel Fire, NM, who had been reported missing on May 28, 2023, by his wife, who lives at Fort Bayard Medical Center.

Deputies stated, the report said, the vehicle appeared to be headed west on Highway 152 when it encountered a sharp left and downward curve, went airborne, and ended up in the bottom of an approximate 70-foot canyon. The driver was found deceased about 20 feet in front of the vehicle. Apparently, he had been partially ejected through the passenger side windshield and then dragged out and partially eaten. The report stated large bear prints were found near the vehicle.

The Upper Mimbres Volunteer Fire Department, the New Mexico State Police, the Office of the Medical Investigator, and G&G Towing of Silver City, assisted in bringing the vehicle and the body up from the canyon.

A stainless-steel revolver was recovered between the steering wheel and the dashboard and placed into evidence. No sign indicating other passengers may have been in the vehicle was discovered nor was any evidence found suggesting foul play, according to the report.