LOVINGTON — New Mexico has its 16th Safe Haven Baby Box, marked with a dedication ceremony Monday.

Lovington Fire Chief Skip Moorhead was joined by city, county and state leaders, and local religious leaders for a ribbon cutting and blessing of the new addition at Lovington fire station 2, 1424 N. 17th St.

“This is a big day for Lovington Fire Department, the city of Lovington and even the county,” Moorhead said. “We couldn’t do this without everybody working together. I just want to say thank you.”

Safe Haven Baby Boxes is a nation-wide organization dedicated to providing an anonymous surrender option for mothers in crisis. The organization was founded in 2016 by Monica Kelsey, who learned in adulthood she was abandoned as an infant. Lovington’s Baby Box is the 430th installed nation wide.

Lovington is the second Lea County community to install a Baby Box. A Baby Box was installed May 9, 2023, at Hobbs Fire Station No. 1, 301 E. White Street, in Hobbs. Three babies have been safely surrendered since it became operational.

Jessi Getrost, executive assistant for Monica Kelsey, CEO and founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, said Kelsey brought the idea for baby boxes to the United States after visiting a church in Cape Town, South Africa, where the minister had one installed at his church.

Since Kelsey started Safe Haven Baby Boxes in the United States in 2016, 24 states have boxes installed. The boxes have helped 77 parents surrender infants safely and legally, according to Getrost.

“It’s a great way for parents to have that anonymous option, should they choose it,” she said. “You know, we like to say it’s better to bless a box in the side of a wall than to have to bless a box going into the ground.”

In attendance at Lovington’s baby box ribbon cutting and blessing ceremony were Sen. David Gallegos, R-Eunice, and Rep. Randy Pettigrew, R-Lovington.

“I’m very privileged and honored that you would take the time and make the effort to set this box here,” Gallegos said. “We need to go ahead and get to the point that we can educate them (the youth) that they know, firsthand, they have an option.

Dee Ann Kimbro, Lea County Commissioner, District 1, said she is proud Lea County tax dollars helped pay for the baby box, and is honored to have another one installed in the county.

“What an honor it is to be here today to see this box,” she said. “This (is about) babies here, and ‘this mother and this baby need help.’ I was honored when they asked me for the funding for it, but here’s the thing, this wasn’t my money. This is your money. This is your county tax dollars that helped pay for this.”

Mayor Robbie Roberts said having a baby box installed in Lovington was a “no brainer” decision for him and city commissioners.

“What a wonderful day for Lovington,” he said. “It was a no brainer when it came here, when it came to us. You know, while everyone has a view and a feeling about this, there’s one thing that I stand by, it’s better to have it and never need it than to not have it and need it.”

First Methodist Church Pastor Robert Gasman and Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces Bishop Peter Baldacchino blessed Lovington’s baby box.

“Lord, we pray that this box is a symbol of hope and compassion,” Gasman prayed. “Lord, we pray it provides a safe sanctuary for those in need and also a reflection of your unending love for all of your children.”

If you are a parent in need of immediate help call or text the Safe Haven Baby Boxes crisis line at 1-866-99BABY1 (9922291).

Denise Marquez’s email is reporter@hobbsnews.com.

Wheeler Cowperthwaite
For the Artesia Daily Press

One of the two stepsiblings charged with the killing of three family members last year in Bent agreed to plead guilty to multiple charges linked to the deaths.

The plea deal was reached on April 1 in the case against 30-year-old Cassandra Douglas, who pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, two counts of tampering with evidence and one count each of conspiracy to commit residential burglary, conspiracy to receive stolen property and conspiracy to commit arson over $20,000.

As a condition of the plea deal, Douglas must “testify truthfully at the trial of Kane Mayes,” her stepbrother.

Mayes is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and a slew of other charges for the alleged killings of Victor Perea, 68, Mary Mouser, 79, and Killian Mayes, 24, on Jan. 16, 2025.

In addition to the murder charges, a grand jury indicted Mayes on three counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, three counts of tampering with evidence, two counts of unlawful taking of a vehicle and one count each of aggravated burglary, conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary, arson between $2,500 and $20,000 and conspiracy to commit unlawful taking of a vehicle.

Douglas’ plea deal, accepted by District Judge Stephen Ochoa, “recommends” her sentence be 27 years for her alleged role in the crimes.

She is set to be sentenced after Mayes, goes to trial, June 22.

While the plea deal “recommends” a sentence of 27 years, Douglas faces a technical potential maximum sentence of 66 years on all of the charges, after she was indited by a grand jury

What happened

The first calls to police came in on Jan. 20, when Mayes called for a welfare check, and then called to cancel it, on Mauser at the family’s house at 121 Nogal Canyon Road, 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office investigator K. Graham wrote in court documents.

When Otero County Sheriff’s Deputies got there, no one was in the house and two cars that should be on the property were not. When investigators looked at deputies’ body camera footage, they noted that there was a bullet hole in one wall and a carpet missing from a bedroom, Graham wrote.

Two days later, a call came in, about 1/8 of a mile from the property, for a car fire. In the car, investigators found what were later determined to be the remains of Perea, Mouser and Killian Mayes, he wrote.

After getting a search warrant, investigators found blood in the house, .22-caliber bullets and .22 shell casings, bloody clothes and empty bleach bottles, Graham wrote.

Witness Mike Blette told investigators that Kane Mayes was at the house on Jan. 18, 2025, with a gun in a holster on his hip. Court documents put the killings between Jan. 16 and 20, 2025, he wrote.

Investigators talked to Douglas at her house in Roswell on Jan. 23, 2025. She told them Kane Mayes had been staying with her, but that she just met him, a statement contradicted by previous Facebook photos of the two together, police said. The following day, investigators found she took her children out of school and was reported to be headed to Mississippi.

Douglas’ father told investigators that Douglas, her children and Kane Mayes went to stay at the house in Bent between Jan. 17 and Jan. 20 and that Kane Mayes had just moved to New Mexico from Canada. Inside her house, they found .22-caliber bullets, he wrote.

Douglas drove back to Roswell and on Jan. 26, she told investigators that on Jan. 16, Kane Mayes went into the house while she went to the store. When she came back, he told her not to go in, but she did anyway, and saw the three bodies covered in tarps, trash bags and sleeping bags, Graham wrote.

She told investigators that she helped load up the bodies into one of the cars, they drove it up a hill, flipped it, and drove to Roswell, about 90 miles away. There, they bough cleaning supplies and kerosene, Graham wrote.

Once a family member started to worry about the missing family members, “the two decided they needed to create a cover-up story and bum the car,” Prosecutor Mikel Ward wrote in court documents.

“Kane then made a fake welfare check call to police, which he later cancelled, advising everything was ok,” Ward wrote. “Cassandra made a fake welfare check call to police advising she hadn’t heard from Kane, and he was running from another family member in Cloudcroft, NM. During the initial portions of the investigation, Kane and Cassandra worked together to coordinate a story about Kane being missing, Cassandra not knowing Kane well, and not knowing the location or whereabouts of Kane.”

Mike Smith

Artesia Daily Press

msmith@elritomedia.com

Republicans seeking statewide and federal offices in New Mexico believe they have the candidates to turn the tide against the Democrats in 2026.

Held at the Ocotillo Performing Arts Center Monday night, here are some highlights from the get out to vote rally:

Greg Cunningham faces no opposition in the June primary and will face Democrat incumbent Gabe Vasquez for the U.S. House District 2 seat.

He felt New Mexico’s federal congressional delegation needs a problem solver. He cited more than 20 years of law enforcement experience.

“That’s in my wheelhouse. I think politics needs more of that,” he said.

Current New Mexico House Rep. Martin Zamora (R-63) is hoping to defeat current U.S. House District 3 incumbent Democrat Teresa Isabel Leger Fernández.

Zamora, like Cunningham, has no opponent in the June primary.

“Your vote matters,” he said to the crowd of Republican supporters.

Eddy County Division III Magistrate Judge Jimmy Foster (left) visits with State District Judge AnneMarie Lewis during a get out to vote forum in Artesia.

“To win this seat I have got to get crossover votes.”

Zamora believes his background in farming and ranching can reach out to the diverse residents in the district.

More details coming to this website and in Thursday’s newspaper.

Todd Fuqua
Artesia Daily Press
tfuqua@elritomedia.com

Ruidoso is one step closer to hosting direct flights to Denver after village councilors voted to use state grant funds in hopes of keeping ticket prices affordable.

Contour Airlines plans to begin offering four weekly flights to Denver International Airport on its 30-seat jets from Sierra Blanca Regional Airport on June 25.

Village Councilors unanimously approved on April 16 the use of a $3 million Rural Air Service Enhancement grant from the New Mexico Department of Transportation, intended to supplement Contour’s revenue for the air service. The grant would be matched with $300,000 in village lodger’s tax funds.

The village previously issued two requests for proposals for airlines in January and February, but did not make any offers. That means the village is allowed to choose a vendor and negotiate the “best price,” read a memorandum included in the meeting agenda.

After agreeing to the revenue guarantee for Contour, the Village recommended the company to the U.S. Department of Transportation through its Essential Air Service program. The DOT makes the ultimate decision on which provider would be used and pays for the air service using federal funds.

Company President Ben Munson said the agreement would mean round-trips priced at about $240.

“If we can get further funding, we’re hoping for tickets costing $120 per passenger in the first year,” he said.

This marks Contour’s fourth agreement with a New Mexico municipality, as flights are already available from Taos, Albuquerque and Carlsbad.

Munson told councilors his company’s reception in those communities has been very positive, and flights into Denver are a natural fit for their business model.

He stated Denver is well-suited for non-sterile arrivals, meaning an airport like Ruidoso’s not staffed by the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) can send passengers without safety checks to airports that do host TSA. Once they arrive, they are processed by TSA staff.

“We hope Ruidoso residents can take advantage of it and bring in more inbound traffic,” Munson said.

Todd Fuqua is Editor for the Ruidoso News and can be reached at 575-937-0344.

Wheeler Cowperthwaite
For the Artesia Daily Press

Rio Arriba County Sheriff Billy Merrifield was a little obsessive when it came to cleanliness.

“He was neurotic with hand sanitizer and wipes,” his mother, Lana Merrifield, said in an interview.

As a deputy, that meant wearing gloves any time he did a search, handled evidence, dealt with a suspect.

“I think I’m the one that got him neurotic like that,” she said, as she suffers from the autoimmune disease lupus, and instilled a deep level of cleanliness in her children.

A year after the 50-year-old’s death from an overdose of fentanyl and alcohol, Lana Merrifield said New Mexico State Police detectives have assured her they will not let the case go cold, and they have some leads, but they haven’t given her any details.

“Being that, the position that he held, it was a very dangerous job and he already had several death threats that the FBI looked into,” she said. “I know he would have never touched drugs, ever.”

State Police did not respond to a request for comment and follow-up information on the case.

“I told the detective, even though we may not ever come up with a conviction, but he needs his name cleared,” she said. “He never ever touched drugs and taught his officers, always put your gloves on, they would double glove.”

She said she has her theories as her son “wasn’t afraid say no to the other people,” including politicians at all levels of government.

The details of the case are what bother her, like him drinking alcohol out of a soda can.

Billy Merrifield was found dead near his Abiquiú Lake home in his patrol vehicle on April 20, 2025.

“Bud light, yes, but he didn’t drink sodas,” she said. “He liked his Monster, things that give you energy, because he worked a lot, if he wasn’t at his desk, he was at a meeting, and what little bit of vacation he got, he was on his Harley or going with his buddies to the Bahamas. When he became sheriff, he didn’t have time for vacations.”

The only way he could have consumed the fentanyl was if it was slipped to him, she said.

“The only thing in his system was the alcohol from the night before, and not that much, a minute amount, and it said on the thing, it was a grain of salt’s worth of fentanyl and coffee, so I think someone slipped it into his coffee,” she said. “He’d gotten up and showered. I have his clothes, they’re not dirty.”

As to who is responsible, is hard to say because a sheriff makes a lot of enemies.

“Could have been politics, could have been cartel, or could have been someone else entirely,” Lana Merrifield said.

According to the autopsy report, Billy Merrifield had a blood alcohol level of 0.07, just below the legal per se limit for someone to be convicted of drunk driving.

The level of fentanyl in his system was 23 nanograms per milliliter, near the level of 26 that a 2012 study found to be present in overdose deaths before the drug became widely available and popular, when it was still mostly used in patches for cancer patients.

The effects of fentanyl, a depressant, are “amplified when fentanyl is taken in combination with other central nervous system depressants” like alcohol, according to the autopsy report.

The amount in his system was so little, it was indicative of someone who is exposed for the first time, not someone who regularly uses opioids and has a tolerance, Lana Merrifield said.

A Need to Help Single Moms

When Billy Merrifield a child, he saw his mother beat up “pretty badly” by her boyfriend.

“He swore then, at 7, he was going to be an officer and not let men do those things to the kids’ mamas,” she said.

Growing up with a single mom, he had a special place in his heart for them, going out of his way to pay bills for single moms he knew.

Even as a 2-year-old, he wanted to help his mom.

When he was 2, she had the hood of her Volkswagen Beatle up, working on it. Then, she smelled gas and looked down.

“He had the wire cutters and told me, ‘I fixed the Volkswagen momma,’” she said. “He cut the gas line into so many pieces. He was a character, a character.”

He started walking at 7 months old, making him hard to keep up with.

“You’d constantly turn around, and ask, ‘Where’s Billy?’” she said.

Just a few weeks after cutting the gas line, he got into her truck. He knew the shifter made the car move, so he pushed it, putting it in neutral.

“We lived on a hill and it rolled down, barely missed the landlord’s Cadillac and stopped after it bumped a tree,” she said. “He was sitting on the floorboards, and said, ‘Can I do that again?’ He was hard to keep up with.”

Worrying Everyday

Lana Merrifield worried about her first born son everyday.

“I never really thought the rock of our family would fall,” she said.

She didn’t want to believe the news when she first heard, or for a long time after.

“I kept thinking he faked his death except (my family) dressed him for his viewing,” she said.

Billy Merrifield’s death threw her health into a tailspin, as her lupus flared and only in the last three months has she been doing better.

“I try to keep my mind off of it, as he wouldn’t want us to be sad,” she said. “He’s with his sister and his daughter now, he’s in St. Michael’s army, I know that, as St. Michael is his saint.”

Memorial Cruise

A memorial cruise honoring the former sheriff will be Sunday (4/19). Those who want to participate should meet at 11 a.m. at Century Bank. The ride will start at noon from North Riverside Drive to East Fairview Lane and to North Paseo de Oñate. Food and refreshments can be purchased afterward at the Cities of Gold Casino Hotel ballroom, where Heartless and a DJ will provide entertainment.

The Artesia Daily Press is letting you decide on the best local sports star each week. Go to ArtesiaNews.com to cast your ballot.

Girls

Two Artesia softball players have received nominations this week. Miranda Perez had a couple of base hits against Roswell, and Michelle Loya has been key in the team’s 16-4 record this season.

Boys

Bulldogs athletes in baseball and track are nominated this week. Jett Whitmire continues his stellar play in the outfield and come up with key hits. Fabian Moya pulled away from a Cleveland runner down the stretch in a recent relay.

Results will be released in the April 30 print edition and online.

Photos by Mike Smith, Artesia Daily Press

Carlsbad Mayor Rick Lopez and Artesia Mayor Jeff Youtsey had a friendly competition Saturday at the Carlsbad Miniature Golf Course.

More pictures and the winning Mayor will be found on this website next week and in Thursday’s newspaper.

Carlsbad Mayor Rick Lopez prepares to sink a putt on Saturday.