On October 5, 2022, at about 5:00 a.m., 52-year-old Shirley Reyes was found dead inside her home on La Luz Drive in Taos, New Mexico, after her 19-year-old son — wounded by gunfire — went to a neighbor’s house and reported that both he and his mother had been shot. The son was treated at a local hospital; Shirley Reyes did not survive.

Investigators identified three local teenagers as suspects. Court records say 16-year-old Javier Romero and 14-year-old Elijah Hamilton were named by the wounded son, and 14-year-old Rickey Fresquez was later implicated. Authorities allege the youths planned to burglarize the Reyes home and that the burglary escalated to gun violence. All three were arrested and booked into a juvenile detention center on charges including first-degree murder, conspiracy, aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Family members described Shirley Reyes as a loving mother and grandmother. Her daughter recalled her as a petite woman who stood 7ft tall, a comment meant as a testament to her strength and spirit. Does anyone have information about that morning or knew Shirley and her family that could help the community understand what happened?