Police said the case began with a missing-person report and a welfare check at the woman’s home.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — An Albuquerque man is accused of killing his 69-year-old mother, dismembering her body and hiding her remains in a freezer after officers went to her home for a welfare check in late October, authorities said.
Leroy Felix Vallejos, 49, was arrested after police found the remains of Ernestina Lucero at her home near Rhode Island Street NE and Copper Avenue NE. The case began as a missing-person investigation, then moved to homicide after officers searched the home and found garbage bags in a chest freezer. Court and jail records later listed murder, battery, tampering with evidence and abuse-related charges in the case.
Police said officers went to Lucero’s home Oct. 28 after Vallejos contacted a home health care company and said he had not seen his mother for about a week while also asking about payment for her care. The company asked police to check on Lucero. When officers arrived, Vallejos allowed them inside and said his mother had gone to Mexico. Officers found medication bottles that appeared to still be in use in her bedroom, which raised questions about whether she had left the state or country. An officer then searched farther and found garbage bags inside a large freezer that appeared to contain human remains.
The Office of the Medical Investigator later identified the remains as Lucero. Police said another family member had already reported her missing, and the Albuquerque Police Department had sent out a missing-person bulletin on Oct. 23. Detectives also said they were looking into financial activity before Lucero was found, including suspected withdrawals from her debit card and the sale of her vehicle before she was reported missing. Investigators said missing-person detectives had been trying to interview Vallejos when the welfare check request came in from the home health care company. Vallejos was booked into the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center after homicide detectives took over the case.
Investigators said Vallejos later told detectives he choked his mother about three weeks before the welfare check. Police said he claimed Lucero had conspired with others against him and was part of a group “giving their lives to darkness.” In an affidavit cited in court records, Vallejos allegedly said he had “snapped” after years of conflict. Body-worn camera footage later obtained by local media showed an officer telling Vallejos to step outside after the freezer discovery. The officer then told him, “Go and put your hands behind your back. She’s in the freezer.” Police said a later search of the home found a saw with what appeared to be dried blood stains under a sink.
The case drew attention because of the condition of the remains, the location where they were found and the timeline described by police. Authorities said Lucero may have been dead for weeks before officers found her. Investigators have not publicly described every step they believe happened inside the home, and some details remain part of the criminal case. Reports based on charging documents said Vallejos allegedly told detectives he placed his mother’s body in the freezer and left it there. He also allegedly told police he had considered turning himself in but did not want to leave his dogs. Those statements have not been tested at trial.
Vallejos initially was described as charged with an open count of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. Later jail records listed two counts of first-degree murder, three battery counts, two counts of tampering with evidence and one count of abuse of a resident resulting in death. The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office sought to keep him in custody, and officials said a court ruled in November that he would remain held while the case moved through the judicial process. Defense attorneys agreed to the detention request, according to public statements from the district attorney’s office.
The legal case later shifted toward competency. In December 2025, a court found Vallejos incompetent to stand trial, according to later reports on the case. In January, he was committed to the New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute for mental health services until he is found competent to proceed. A competency finding does not decide guilt or innocence. It decides whether a defendant can understand court proceedings and assist in a defense. Prosecutors can continue the case if competency is restored. A trial date has not been announced publicly.
Lucero’s death left investigators sorting through a case that began with concern from relatives and a care provider, then quickly turned into one of Albuquerque’s more disturbing homicide investigations of 2025. Police said the home was searched after officers found facts that did not match the claim that Lucero had left for Mexico. The discovery of her medication, the earlier missing-person report and the freezer search became key parts of the investigation. Authorities have not released a full public timeline for Lucero’s final days.
The case remains pending as of Tuesday, April 28. Vallejos has not been convicted, and court proceedings depend on future competency findings. The next major step is whether mental health treatment restores him to competency so the criminal case can resume.
Author note: Last updated April 28, 2026.