By Roger Lanse
On Wednesday, May 21, 2025, around 10 a.m., New Mexico State Police officers responded to a fatal crash on Highway 180 near MM 123 (1 mile west of the Bayard Cemetery). The NMSP told the Beat a black Hyundai was traveling east on Highway 180 when the driver made a U-turn in front of a motorhome which was traveling west on Highway180.
A passenger in the Hyundai, Lorenzo Marquez, 80, was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Office of the Medical Investigator. The driver of the Hyundai suffered unknown injuries and was flown to a Texas hospital. The driver of the motorhome was not injured.
This crash remains under investigation by NMSP.