Harris Yazzie Begay, 53, of Church Rock, New Mexico, was reported missing by his wife on October 27, 2022, after he failed to return from work in the Albuquerque area. He was last heard from after leaving a construction job in Rio Rancho and mentioning plans to have dinner. His wife first contacted Navajo Police, who directed her to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office.

On November 7, 2022, Begay’s body was found in a field near Central Avenue and 122nd Street in Albuquerque; he had sustained fatal gunshot wounds and his 2018 grey Chevrolet Malibu was missing. Deputies had located the Malibu on October 31 being driven by 37-year-old Paul Chavez; Chavez was arrested on weapons and paraphernalia charges that were later dismissed. Investigators say a firearm recovered in another vehicle linked to Chavez was used in Begay’s shooting.

Surveillance footage from a Smith’s and a Walgreens on Coors and Central showed 35-year-old Mary Helen Gurule meeting Chavez, being picked up by Begay, and then returning alone in Begay’s car about 20 minutes later to pick up Chavez. Authorities say that timeline suggested Gurule shot Begay and left with his vehicle; she was charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, and tampering with evidence and released on her own recognizance with a court date set for March 2023.

Did anyone in Albuquerque or Rio Rancho see Begay, his grey 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, or the people seen on the surveillance footage around October 27–31, 2022?