By Roger Lanse

Rita Martinez, 84, was found deceased by Silver City Police Department officers, Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, at about 3:24 p.m., at her 1111 N. Bennett Street home. According to an SCPD report, responding officers met the reporting party, Kristina Deem, of Silver City, a friend of the deceased, at the home. Deem, told officers she had last gone to Rita's home about Jan. 30, when she became aware the gas had been shut off at the residence. Deem, the report said, stated to officers that the gas company would not turn the gas back on until some repairs were made inside the home. When Deem arrived on this date, Feb. 13, she said the door was open and Rita's dog was running in and out of the home.

According to the report, officers found Rita on the living room floor on her right side, cold to the touch and stiff.

It appears Rita had been dead for several days. Rita was wearing slacks, shoes and socks, and a halter top. She was not dressed for the 'bitterly cold' temperatures inside the home, according to sources. An electric space heater was in the home, but it is unclear if the heater was heating.

Deem, according to the report, said Rita did not keep in contact with her children and did not have a phone of any kind.

The body was retrieved by Baca's Funeral Home. A daughter and the daughter's husband were located in Flagstaff, Arizona and graveside ceremonies were held on Saturday, Feb. 25 at the St. Francis de Paul Catholic Cemetery in Silver City.

Officers, the report stated, took the dog to the Humane Society.

An autopsy has not been ordered, but a toxicology report is pending, according to sources.

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Following is a summary of a Mar. 1, 2023, interview with Kristina Deem of Silver City, who has known Rita Martinez for about 24 years, grooming her dogs -- the last being Coco, a poodle-terrier mix, helping Rita manage her finances, and being someone Rita could talk to. According to Kristina:

Rita had a very volatile relationship with her family. While it may look like nobody cared about her, that's not how it went. As she aged and became rather difficult she pushed most everybody away until they were like, "OK." We didn't realize that in the last few years with COVID and everything, she had become much more reclusive and distrustful of people." She lived in her parents' house and had accumulated a lot of stuff, so much so that it was difficult to walk from one room to another. She would complain about people coming into her house and taking things and that may have happened once or twice. She called the police often, but less so lately.

Last year (2022) her memory seemed to be less sharp, and somehow she ended up without a phone. Once she blamed missing a dog grooming appointment on a fall, but she wouldn't talk about it. Then, Rita got real sporadic, completely missing appointments and exhibiting erratic behavior.

Because she lived right behind the New Mexico Gas Co. She would go in there to talk to staff. She really didn't have close neighbors. Rita gave me a sum of money to keep to pay some of Rita's bill which I did -- paying newspaper, gas, and other bills from time to time.

The gas company called me saying they understood I had money to pay for Rita's gas bill which was three months behind resulting in the gas being turned off on Jan. 31. Could only pay part with Rita's money but enough to get the gas turned back on. Rita earlier said she always pays her utility bills first thing, but not the gas bill because 'they' are always stealing her gas. Went to Rita's the next day, Feb. 1, and met two guys from the gas company. Rita was outside sweeping. Told Rita the two men are here to turn your gas back on. Inside the house it was like a hoarding situation, "I was aghast." The men had to clear a pathway through the stuff to find the door to the basement where the water heater was located and then had to clear stuff to make a pathway in the basement so they could get to the water heater. After inspecting the heater, they said, they could not legally light the pilot with the present conditions. They were super nice, and said a plumber was needed to bring the water heater connection up to standard before they could do the gas reconnect. I felt it was up to me to find a plumber, as no family members had yet been located. I found a plumber who promised to be there either Friday, Feb. 3, or, if not, Monday the 6th.

The plumber never showed, and I didn't know about the noshow as I had to go out of town for three days for medical treatment. When I returned home and discovered from the gas company that nothing had been done to prepare Rita's house for the gas reconnect, and that Rita most likely had no gas service, my "heart sank." When I went to Rita's house the Monday afternoon of Feb. 13. Entering the fenced front yard, I found the front screen door to the house wide open, the solid front door ajar, with a "frantic" Coco running in and out of the house. Four delivered, but unopened, newspapers lay by the front doors. Going into the house a few steps and repeatedly calling for Rita with no response and realizing I couldn't see anything in the almost pitch darkness of the house as all the windows were covered, I called police and they responded about 3:30 p.m. on the 13th. When Rita's daughter was located in Flagstaff, I met with her at Rita's house late in the week of Feb. 13.

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A Mar. 1, 2023, statement emailed to the author from the New Mexico Gas Company, Manager of Communications Tim Korte, relative to Rita Martinez, states, "Gas service was not able to be restored after it was determined that an appliance was unsafe in Ms. Martinez' home. Our team recommended the appropriate steps to Ms. Martinez and a friend who was also present. Our team members also took note that another safe heating source was present and in use inside the home. The loss of anyone's life is tragic and our condolences go out to her family, friends, and the community." The safe heating source was later specified to be a "functioning space heater."