Marcelino Herrera Jr., 41, was found dead in an empty lot off N.M. 76 in Cuartelez, near Chimayó, on the afternoon of August 18, 2024. Deputies determined he died from gunshot wounds to the chest and head. Family described him as a father of three who enjoyed the outdoors, was outgoing and hardworking, and had recently tried to turn his life around after a rough past.

Witnesses told investigators Herrera and another man were parked in the lot reportedly waiting to buy drugs when an argument erupted with Lucas Gomez-Lopez, who was in a gray Toyota 4Runner with a woman and another man. Accounts say the dispute began over a cellphone, escalated when Herrera drove his truck as if to strike the 4Runner, and ended with Gomez-Lopez exiting the 4Runner and firing multiple shots before leaving.

Detectives used witness statements, surveillance video, and license-plate reader data to identify a suspect. Charges filed in early September name 37-year-old Lucas Gomez-Lopez on first-degree murder and tampering with evidence counts, and 41-year-old Leticia Atencio Doherty on a felony tampering charge for allegedly hiding the 4Runner. No arrest of Gomez-Lopez had been reported as of October 2024.

Did anyone in the area see the gray Toyota 4Runner or the truck that day, or have information about what happened in that lot?