Oct. 23 – Sheriff’s deputies have not yet arrested a driver accused of striking and killing a woman and injuring her two children on a road outside Santa Fe.
Mario Mendez, 29, faces a slew of criminal charges, including vehicular homicide, tampering with evidence and two counts of child abuse.
Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office investigators say Mendez struck 43-year-old Monique Maes and her two young children on the evening of Oct. 15 on Paseo Nopal before driving away. Maes died of her injuries the next day at a local hospital.
Officers followed a trail of clues related to a white SUV found several miles from the crash in Santa Fe County. Investigators tied the SUV to Mendez, even though the vehicle was not registered in his name.
An arrest warrant was issued for Mendez on October 18.
Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Denise Womack-Avila said deputies are “actively searching” for Mendez but had not arrested him as of Wednesday.
An address listed for Mendez — on West Alameda Street — was the “last known address” for Mendez, Womack-Avila said, and police believe he has been homeless for some time.
‘We are looking, and we have been looking, and really [are] hoping to find him,” Womack-Avila said Wednesday.
Maes worked as a contract manager for the city and county’s Buckman Direct Diversion project. She worked for the City of Santa Fe for over twenty years, previously in the City’s Finance Department.
Services for Maes will begin Wednesday with a visitation service from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Berardinelli Family Funeral Home. Rosary, Mass and funeral services will take place from 9:30 a.m. until noon Thursday at Cristo Rey Catholic Church and Rosario Cemetery.
