Joe Dave Baca was known for his heart of gold and a generosity so profound that his loved ones said he would give you the shirt off his back. A 31-year-old Hispanic man, Joe loved to be surrounded by family, to talk, and to be the center of attention. His passion was riding his motorcycle, a joy he often shared with his father, Carlos Baca Sr. Joe was a family man, engaged to his fiancée, Desiree Baldonado, with whom he shared three children: Jose Baca, Alexis Vasquez, and Noah Baca. Remembered for his kind heart, he was a cherished son to his father and Melissa Grant, a brother to Yvonne, Frankie, Xavier, Jamal, and Mohammad, and a friend to many.
The lives of the Baca family were irrevocably shattered on Tuesday, May 10, 2016. On that evening, officers with the Albuquerque Police Department were called to a house in the city's northeast side. Inside the home on Morningside Drive NE, near Comanche Road, they made a devastating discovery.
Joe and his younger brother, 29-year-old Carlos Baca Jr., were found deceased. The home, which neighbors said the brothers had moved into about a year prior, quickly became the scene of a major investigation.
Police immediately began investigating the deaths as a double homicide. While authorities did not publicly disclose the specific cause of death or the nature of the brothers' injuries, the scene prompted a significant response. Family members rushed to the house, holding each other and crying as they waited for information. Neighbors reported hearing no gunshots or screaming, noting that the brothers mostly kept to themselves. The day after the discovery, the house was condemned, marked by a red sticker on the window, leaving an empty space in the quiet neighborhood.
In the days following the killings, the Albuquerque Police Department announced they were searching for a person of interest who might be connected to the double homicide. Detectives identified the man as Celestino Lopez and sought the public's help in locating him, though they did not release further details about why they believed he was connected to the case. The investigation was intensive in its early stages, as detectives worked to piece together the events that led to the tragic deaths of two brothers.
Joe was preceded in death by his mother, Yvonne Kline, and tragically, by his brother Carlos, who died alongside him. Carlos was a devoted husband to his wife, Frankie, and a father to five children. He was remembered as a quiet and funny man with an entrepreneurial spirit who, with his wife, owned his own business. The brothers shared a close bond, and their joint loss was a profound blow to their large, loving family.
A viewing and funeral service for Joe were held on May 18, 2016, at Riverside Chapel in Albuquerque, where family and friends gathered to mourn and remember the man with the generous spirit. As of the latest available information, the double homicide of Joe and Carlos Baca remains unsolved. There have been no public announcements of arrests made or charges filed in the years since their deaths. The case remains an open investigation, leaving a family and a community still waiting for answers and for justice to be served for the two brothers whose lives were cut short.
