Tip leads to arrest in hit-and-run that killed mom of 2 in New Mexico, cops say
A tip led to the arrest of a 30-year-old man who’s been wanted for more than two months in the hit-and-run death of a mother of two, police in New Mexico said.
Mario Israel Mendez was arrested at about 5 p.m. Dec. 20 in El Paso, Texas, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
He’s suspected of driving the car that hit Monique Maes and her two children while they were out walking at about 6 p.m. Oct. 15 in Santa Fe, police said.
Maes, 43, died from her injuries the next day.
Her two kids, ages 8 and 12, were treated for minor injuries and released.
The arrest happened after Mendez “was recognized and a tip was called in,” said Denise Womack Avila, media coordinator for the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, in an email Dec. 23 to McClatchy News. Since Mendez wasn’t in Santa Fe, the sheriff’s office worked with New Mexico State Police, Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service and Texas Department of Public Safety to make the arrest, Womack Avila said.
Maes’ brother, JD Maes, said the family feels relieved.
“It was just an overwhelming sense of relief and really happiness for the two kids. They’ve been wondering when he’s going to be caught for two months already. And just the fact that we know that he’s in custody, the fact that we know he’s going to face justice, it’s really healing for everybody involved,” JD Maes told KRQE.
Tributes poured in after Monique Maes’ death.
She was a longtime city of Santa Fe employee, first coming on board in 2000 and most recently working as a contracts administrator for a water treatment plant, officials said.
“We hope the family finds strength in the support of Monique’s City of Santa Fe family. We will do all we can to help ensure Monique’s children are comforted and cared for during this tragic time,” Mayor Alan Webber said in a statement at the time.
In Maes’ obituary, she was described as a woman who was passionate about life and dedicated to her children.
Rev. Bill Sanchez, a family friend, told the Santa Fe New Mexican that Maes was “bright and gregarious,” with a curious mind and a love for travel.
“She was just so loved by so many people. It’s a real tragedy,” he said.
Mendez was publicly identified as a suspect about three days after the hit-and-run, and Crime Stoppers offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to his arrest, according to a sheriff’s office Facebook post.
Police said a white “boxy type” SUV was seen fleeing the scene of the hit-and-run, and officials soon found a parked 2005 Chevy Equinox with front-end damage that matched the description.
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