Dr. Insanity - Patrol Cop Runs Into Secret Killer Dumping Body In Mountains

Episode Date: September 26, 2026

Head to https://chime.com/drinsanity for a $200 bonus and 5% cash back with Chime® Thanks Chime for sponsoring this video! - After 67-year-old Albert Peña vanishes from Mountainair, New Mexico, Detective Kent Ballard follows a trail of blood, abandoned vehicles and a hidden underground bunker that suggests someone is desperately trying to erase what happened. Then, more than 100 miles away, an Otero County deputy unknowingly pulls over Moises Lopez, Jaylene Lewark, Cady Landrum and Manuel Lopez... the very group investigators are beginning to connect to Albert’s disappearance. What follows is a multi-county hunt for the truth, as police race to unravel an alleged cover-up before the people at the center of it slip away. - Chime is a fintech, not a bank. Banking services and Chime Card provided by Chime's bank partners. $200 Intro Offer: *Terms apply, must open the new account and complete qualifying activities to earn the rewards, up to a maximum of $200.00, as described in the offer terms at https://www.chime.com/join/promos/get.... Savings APY: No min. balance required. For more information on Annual Percentage Yields, go to chime.com/disclosures. 9x times national average: Comparison to national average rate on the FDIC’s National Rates and Rate Caps website, as of 098/2206/2026. 5% Cash Back: Cash back on eligible Chime Card purchases. Terms and limits apply. To apply for a Chime Card, you must also open a Chime Checking Account. Round Ups and Split your pay: For information on Round ups and Split your pay, please see chime.com/disclosures. - This video was made for educational purposes only. The video is presented to provide genuine footage of police incidents to promote transparency in government while providing educational, informative and newsworthy content allowing viewers to examine and assess public safety material. This is a fact-checked documentary using authoritative sources. We are committed to accuracy in every case we cover. Because videos cannot be updated after publication, any corrections, clarifications, or new information will be documented on our official corrections page: https://corrections.drinsanity.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Calculating route to avoid seeing poverty. Turn left to bypass the unhoused youth sleeping on the street. Then keep right to skip by the lines of people waiting for food. Steer clear of the crowded shelter turning people away, then take the next exit. Let's stop looking away and get in the way of rising poverty. Your donations help the United Way fight poverty in thousands of ways, like providing food, shelter, and crisis prevention. Donate today at United WayGT.org.

Hi, what's up, man? You got your license on you, ma'am? Okay, that's all right. Are you all ahead and try your luck? Yeah. All right, good luck. This New Mexico patrol cop is in the middle of a seemingly routine traffic stop. He has no idea that the people he pulled over

were just allegedly disposing of human remains in the mountains nearby. You ain't making no sense, dude. Get out! We're gonna get tally's! In a moment of silence, please bow your head. My husband's brother is missing. He's been missing since the 30th. As the president of the Albuquerque City Council publicly praised for her missing brother-in-law,

police are already deep into the investigation. Every witness keeps pointing them towards more suspects, and every lead they uncover seems to expose another piece of a multi-county cover-up carried out by someone determined to get away with murder. An outcome that will prove very real as detectives will slowly come to realize. Is all that dark? That is all blood. Oh, shit. I'd watch out for him.

If I don't be real, I'd watch out for him. Does that look like blood to you? Yeah, it is blood. We won't need recovery. We're a search rescue. He's a good guy and you let him throw him on the side of a fucking mountain like he's a piece of trash. Everything starts earlier this year at the canteen. bar in the small town of Mountain Air, where locals often come to unwind after a long day of work.

For the next few hours, everything appears completely normal, but for these two friends, what seems like an ordinary night out would end with one of them, never making it home. This is Deputy Shackville, a Torrance County Sheriff's Office. Albert Pena, is this the name of the guy that you're reporting? Yeah, and he was last seen at the Willard Cantina. My one of my friends in Mountain Air, her friends, the bar turned her there, and she was talking to him, and the last time she had seen him was about seven or eight at the bar. And he was talking to a Mexican gentleman there, and they didn't know who he was.

That was the last time he was seen with anybody. Do you have any idea who the Hispanic male could have been? Well, right now I have my friend. She thinks somebody at the bar might know who he is or the girlfriend of that guy. Well, she's trying to find that out for me. On the line is Frankie, reporting that his older brother, 67-year-old Albert Pena, hasn't been seen or heard from for several days. And to this Torrance County officer, the call feels all too familiar,

given the recent mysterious disappearances surrounding Mountain Air. Just a few years ago, a 28-year-old man suddenly vanished and still hasn't been found. On top of that, Mountain Air even has unsettling ties to infamous serial killers and a crime rate unusually high for a town of less than 1,000 people. But Albert's disappearance wouldn't remain a small town mystery for long, as an unexpected political connection would soon pull the case into a much bigger spotlight. For now, though, the deputy has a much simpler task. Figure out where Albert was last seen. That leads him 15 miles to the canteen a bar. Once inside, he's greeted by Rebecca, the bartender working the night Albert disappeared, and she's about to give investigators the first in a series of leads that would kickstart a week's long high-stakes manhunt.

What do you know? Oh, yeah. We're working on the case involving Albert. And Albert was here the other night. Yes. Do you know Albert? I know of him. Okay.

Yes. Where do you know? Do you know him from here or a mountaineer? Okay. He was here the other night with a young man. Yes. Do you know who that is? His name is Moses, Moses or something like that. Okay. How do you know him? I know him through his girlfriend. And who is his girlfriend? Jay Ling. Okay. Okay. And so, and I've been by Jaylene's house twice and the door looks like it's been barricaded up a little bit and the frame on the door where the window is is busted and cracked like somebody's broken into it. When I knocked on the door, I can hear the chihuahuas on the inside, and the door is loose enough that you could push it open. Okay, that's abnormal. It's very weird.

Did it seem, it's always hard to tell with the video, but were they getting along okay? They were fine. They were perfectly wild. All right. It's just, I've never seen him with Albert before. When I talked to another friend of mine and mentioned his name, he was like, if he did something to Albert. So everybody's got this weird feeling about this guy already. But this is just not looking.

It's just, Albert's got a lot of nice. his stuff, like his bikes and stuff. And that's what we're, I know, that's what I'm worried about. Thanks to Rebecca, detectives not only have their first lead, Moises Lopez and his girlfriend, Jalien, but also a potential financial motive for why someone may have wanted to harm Albert. After speaking with the bartender, the deputy returns to the station to run some background checks, where he'll quickly discover just how much danger Albert might be in. Moises Lopez is a convention.

Lopez is a convicted felon currently on parole, with an active warrant already out for his arrest. His record includes robbery and embezzlement, giving police more than enough legal grounds to take him into custody. Within hours of this discovery, officers secure a warrant to search his house and rush over. Leading the case is Detective Lieutenant Kent Ballard, a veteran investigator with more than 15 years of service under his belt, and his intuition tells him, this wouldn't be as easy as it seemed. Once Ballard and the other officers arrive, they draw their guns and prepare to move in. Occupants of 410 North Corbin. This is the Torrance County Sheriff's Office. Excess through the east side door with your hands up, open, and SD.

Sheriff's office, you're inside, make yourself known. Hey, we're open. The Orange County Sheriff's Office, you're inside, make yourself known. We're to start searching. look for obvious signs of blood. Huh? They left in a hurry. They sure did. There's like in the back there's like a closet or like a little like, like, clothing, everything is stuck and thrown on the floor and got.

Inside, neither Moises nor his girlfriend Jaline are anywhere to be found. While officers continue searching through the clutter, the bartender, Rebecca arrives, wanting to check on the dogs left behind. However, she's about to point out something strange that will double the number of suspects officers need to find. Go out, go out to Rebecca. Come on. Come on. No, buddy, you've got to go outside. You can't be in here. No one's taking care of you. This poor thing is probably not eight. No, I'm sure.

Come here, baby. Here, you're okay. You're okay, sweetie. Why would they leave those dogs? Man, I'm telling you that's a piece of shit because there's dogs have been. What vehicle is missing? None. So how do they get around? How could they possibly have gotten around? They walked.

Did you see how it was all barricaded and stuff from the outside? Well, and somebody's kicked that other door in. Oh, wow. But I can't tell. Is this the way the house always was? Always. So it was always thrashed? Always.

So now I don't know, like, it's hard to tell whether something happened or missing or what? I have no idea. Okay. It's disgusting, though. It's always been like that. I appreciate you coming. No problem. Rebecca just revealed an interesting detail.

Neither suspect owns a vehicle, instead relying on getting rides from others. To Detective Ballard, this strongly suggests someone may be helping Moises evade police. But even then, investigators are yet to realize the uphill battle they're facing as they're about to encounter more suspects and slowly uncover one body dump after another. Dude, the things they asked for was weird. It's freaking us out. We're freaked out. Yeah, it is blood. After clearing the house, Detective Ballard

ordered several officers to remain positioned outside while he tries calling the couple's phones, but each call goes straight to voicemail. He then heads back to the station where, to his surprise, one of them finally calls back, ready to mislead the detective and get him off their bags. Hello? Hello, is Jaylene there?

Yes, yes it is. Hi ma'am, it's Lieutenant Ballard with the Sheriff's Office. Thank you very much for calling me back. No, no problem. I've been out of town so I didn't know what the hell was going on. Yeah, let me explain what's going on and all. I'm working on a missing person's case involving an Albert Pena. Do you know Albert?

Yes, I do. Okay. When is the last time you saw Albert? Calculating route to avoid seeing poverty, turn left to bypass the unhapest, bypass the unhoused youth sleeping on the street, then keep right to skip by the lines of people waiting for food. Steer clear of the crowded shelter turning people away, then take the next exit. Let's stop looking away and get in the way of rising poverty. Your donations help the United Way fight poverty in thousands of ways, like providing food, shelter, and crisis prevention.

Donate today at United WayGt.org. Maybe like three days before Near his Eve walking by his house. So are you guys friendly or just acquaintances? Well, I know since I worked at the gas station. Okay. When you work at the gas station, you know everybody. And then he met my boyfriend and those two get along great, you know? Like, but he brings us like, who's off and he's out and gives us right, he's a really good guy.

What's your boyfriend? Yeah, I mean, um, he's, um, um, Wanesas Lopez. Okay. As detectives suspected, the couple is out of town. But what surprises Ballard is just how calm Jaline seems about the entire situation. Even if she had nothing to do with Albert's disappearance, she's still traveling with a convicted felon who's quickly becoming the focus of the investigation. But Detective Ballard needs to play it safe.

Otherwise, he'll spook the couple and lose his only chance to pin down Moises' location. Is Moises with you now? Yes, would you like to talk to him? That would be great. Okay, we're on second. Thanks. Hello? Hello, is this Moises?

Yes, sir. I appreciate it. I'm working on a missing person's case. Do you know a person by the name of Albert Pena? Yes, I do, sir. Okay. How do you know Albert? Well, we were walking home from a store one day, and we were walking down the street,

and he kind of started talking to us, and that's how we met, you know? Dad, we became friends after that. When is the last time you saw him? He's missing and we're trying to locate him. Two, three days ago, I think, or I'm not sure we went to the bar, me and him, and then he said he was going to Albert City or go party or something. So that's why he told me. We hit it home, he dropped me off, and then he took off. And you said that you and Albert went to the bar? Where did you guys go? I eat some chips, paid a little pool, and then he had an argument with some dude there, so, and then they kicked that kind of like, so we have to leave stuff.

Like, that's kind of important to me. Who did he get into an art? argument with you. Honestly, I don't know who these people were. Like I said, that's the first time ever went to there. And he left. Hopefully he's okay. Like what? I don't know.

I don't understand what's going on. I don't either. His family's very concerned about him. After this, strange call, Detective Ballard immediately looks into this unidentified man Albert allegedly got into an argument with. But when he reviews the CCTV, the footage tells a very different story. At 5.45 p.m., Albert and Moises walk into the bar.

For the next few hours, cameras capture the two laughing, drinking, and playing pool before they leave together in Albert's Chevrolet Trailblazer, with no argument ever taking place. To Ballard, the footage gives him reason to seriously question Moises' version of events. With night approaching, Ballard continues digging deeper into Moises and Jalene. All the while, the camp. case is less than 12 hours away from a discovery that Town of Mountain Air isn't prepared for. The next morning, with the search for Albert reaching statewide attention, a patrolling officer just outside Mountain Air spots an abandoned SUV off a dirt road. Unbeknownst to this officer,

he's about to stumble upon one of investigators' first solid clues to finding Albert. and have them stop right there. All right, there's nobody inside of it. There's a lot of trash dump out here. I'm not going to go any further. I drove through the weeds because there's good tire prints coming and going that do not match this vehicle. After examining the SUV, the officer confirms it's Albert's Chevrolet Trailblazer, the same

vehicle he was last seen in. But so far, he finds nothing clearly suggesting foul play. The officer then relays this discovery to Detective Ballard, who makes his way to the scene, expecting it might provide a new lead. But once Ballard arrives at the scene, it wouldn't take long before he spots something that would leave him genuinely horrified. And we're going to have to check the vehicle good because I think John checked the window. The seats leaned way back. I'm going to pop it. Hat.

I can't see the back. Oh, there's blood. All over the... A ton of it. Is all that dark? That is... I think it's all blood. So here's the thing. There wouldn't be blood outside the car unless they took him out of the car.

Upon discovering a large pool of blood alongside a single shoe, Ballard realizes the dark direction this investigation is heading. Shortly afterward, Torrance County detectives processed the car for fingerprints, before towing it away for further analysis. But strangely, investigators' next major breakthrough won't come from the car at all. Instead, the case is about to take an unexpected detour

more than 100 miles south, where another couple would soon be accused of something horrific. I'm freaking out. I don't know. There's calls I lent to one of my friends over the weekend. I don't know if I'm seeing things or not sure. I think there's blood on them. Can you please come check it out? I'm stressing like crazy.

On the line is Ashley, claiming a couple had returned some tools with what appeared to be blood on them. Moments after the call, Otero County Dispatch sends an officer to speak with Ashley, who's already waiting outside with even more disturbing details about what she just discovered. The beginning. Okay, so I had a friend who is he, that's enough. So, at a friend, well it's their friend, out of my sister's friends. Okay. And she had gotten sober, so we were letting her come up and my sister drinks, so they were smoking in,

and drinking in the shop most of the time. Anyways, so yesterday, out of brand, and this isn't the first time. The first time she pulled up and she was all twacked out and then we're like, we're gonna sit in your driveway in at 12 o'clock in the middle of the night. Okay. And we're like, that's not cool. Anyways, we don't do that up here. So then she comes back, or she comes yesterday,

and she's like, hey, can I brought some tools? And she's like this. Like, you could tell. Like, her eyes are all big and stuff. And who's this friend? Katie Landrum. Katie, C, K-A-T-H-Y. No, K-A-B-Y.

Megan, I need your information for Katie. Train tall. I'm pretty sure that's blood. So there, there, and there's one more spot. up okay does that look like blood to you it I mean it's freaking us out we're freaked out so yeah it is blood and I was thinking about the tools that they were trying to take and they were trying to get shovel and I'm like dude that's crazy for I mean it's yeah you you're guys are saying it's for wood I mean well do you guys

need a shovel for wood I mean I I would there be blood I mean I mean someone someone could have got hurt someone could have cut himself but the shoveling that act. I mean the shovel, I don't see why you need a shovel for wood. After seeing it for himself, the deputy calls in a forensic team to seize the tools and send them to a lab, while he and other Otero County detectives begin looking into the couple who borrowed them. By now, two couples in two different counties are on investigators' radar, with both departments still oblivious to just how closely their cases are connected. The next morning still in Otero County, the deputy who took Ashley's statement follows up on her lead

using the workplace information she provided to track Katie and Manuel to the dog shelter where they work. As the deputy waits for the couple to emerge, this seemingly isolated lead is about to open the door to an entirely different case. How are you doing? Good. I'm Deputy Vasquez-Othelterkent Sheriff's office. I'm looking for Katie. Katie? Katie, okay. Can I ask you some few questions? Okay.

All right, if you want him being present or you want him to be, okay. So some Christians were brought up since you did borrow tools from Ashley. You borrow a dolly, an ax and a handsaw tool? Yeah. Okay. So the Christians are brought up that there were blood on a dolly. Can you explain that to me? One of us got caught working.

Okay. Who got caught working? One of our friends. One of your friends? And where were you guys at? If you don't mind me ask. when it's all. Are you Manuel Lopez?

Yes, so. Okay. So I did speak with actually yesterday and she doesn't want to trust me from their property also. She takes us to me, I understand, really. Okay, but I'm just letting you guys know verbally that she doesn't want you there on the property. And I will speak with her, see if I could see where the heck's out to it was at. But the concerns are is that they were but on the dolly and she was concerned because of that. Oh, just my not cut kind of like so.

Okay. leading route to avoid seeing poverty. Turn left to bypass the unhoused youth sleeping on the street. Then keep right to skip by the lines of people waiting for food. Steer clear of the crowded shelter turning people away, then take the next exit. Let's stop looking away and get in the way of rising poverty. Your donations help the United Way fight poverty in thousands of ways, like providing food, shelter, and crisis prevention.

Donate today at United WayGT.org. All right, well, I appreciate you for talking to me and speaking with me, guys, all right? I wish you would have spoke to me to me, please, my best of my life is all right. Well, I'm not sure what's going on with that. I'm just here to do my job with Ken and investigate. All right, Ms. Katie, all right, Mr. Lopez. Yes, sir. All right, well, you have safe days, okay? You too, guys luck.

All right, bye. Knowing just how much blood was on those tools, the deputy finds Katie's explanation about a minor accident, difficult to believe. So he calls Ashley Beck, who puts him in contact with the two people who knew Katie better than anyone, her father and daughter. That afternoon, the deputy arranges to meet with them. But once he arrives, Katie's daughter is about to reveal something so disturbing that it would change the trajectory of her mother's life forever. How you doing this, Sabaella? I'm deputy Velazquez. So I'm here because I was told by Megan, you might know where your mom been at.

and where she'd been hanging out. Because they told me that she was out up in a mountain somewhere, cutting wood. Me trying to figure out what is that location she was at or a rough estimate where she was at? I would tell you, but I really don't because they like their phone likes to turn their servant off or whatever. So on Live 360, like I can't, I can show you. It won't let me look at it. It says their phone's off or like their service is off. I don't even know why she's cutting wood.

I've never seen her cut wood. Yeah, they don't have fireplace. Yeah, they don't have a fireplace. There's a big one. They live in a trailer outside of that house. Because it says yesterday, but it also says there's no network or phone off. So, I mean, we just try and figure out what your mom was at, because she did bar some tools, and the tools did have blood on it. Oh.

It was a dolly. What, manual woman? Lopez. Yeah. That's her husband. Yeah, he's a husband. That's not her friend. Oh, that's the husband.

Yeah. She's married. Yeah, they're fighting it out 24-7. I don't know what the hell they do. Okay. I'd watch out for him. If I don't be real, I'd watch out for him. I'm thinking, I'm thinking, okay, they're cutting wood because they're getting colder now, right?

But now you guys are seeing that? They don't have that. They don't even have nothing to do that. I just say watch out for them lying because she loves the lie. She's the best liar in the world, and she really- and I'll take your word because that's your mom. You know her more than anybody else. Okay.

Instead of defending Katie, her own father and daughter describe both her and Manuel as dishonest. With this in mind, the deputy wraps up the interview and heads back to the station. Now even more suspicious of Katie's story. Meanwhile, just as detectives over in Torrance County begin running out of Leeds, they have no idea that a crucial piece of the mystery is hidden in an underground bunker, just a few miles away. a few miles away waiting to be found. As the days pass, Albert's disappearance begins drawing more attention across New Mexico. And with no end in sight, the president of the Albuquerque City Council, Albert's sister-in-law,

decides to make a public plea, one that would finally push the case forward. If everybody can just do me a great favor in a moment of silence, please bow your head. My husband's brother is missing. He's been missing since the 30th, and we don't know. So some of you may have received an Amber alert, but if you just please say a quick prayer for his safe return. While Clarissa's speech draws an overwhelming wave of support from the community, detectives finally obtain Albert's cell phone records.

And for the first time, investigators have a shot at retracing Albert's exact movements on the night he did. disappeared. After leaving the canteen a bar on December 30th, Albert's phone travels to none other than Moises and Jaline's house. From there, it eventually ends up near the dirt road where Albert's car was found. But interestingly, for several hours in between, the phone pings at a nearby abandoned property investigators have yet to search. With this new lead, officers drive to the property to investigate, where something disturbing is sitting at undiscovered beneath the ground.

Sheriff's office. Torrance County Sheriff's Office. If you're in here, make yourself known. I have a short room right there to the right in the mirror. Okay. Okay, I'm gonna check just to make sure I didn't clear the hallway. Yeah. No.

Well, I guess now all we can do is follow up where I should see. Under the dirt, on top there, there, and then there's some splatter there. And then when you look in here, all along the concrete, it drips going to the bottom. It doesn't look right to me. That definitely looks like a blood drip, but it's been there a long time. I mean, he's been missing since the 30th. As officers investigate the bunker, they can see signs suggesting Albert was kept here for some time. But whatever happened, police appear to have arrived too late.

Albert is gone. seemingly moved somewhere else before officers ever reached the property. Still, investigators swabbed the area and send everything they find to the lab, hoping whatever happened here might finally point them in the right direction. And while Ballard and his team secure the scene, they have no idea the effort to conceal what happened to Albert has already stretched nearly 150 miles south, where someone is carrying out a cover-up operation of their own.

As night falls over the Sacramento Mountains, someone is preparing to move Albert to another dump site. After removing Albert's body from the bunker, he drives deep into the mountains, eventually reaching a remote stretch of West Side Road, where Albert is left somewhere down the hillside. A few hours into the night, an Otero County Patrol officer working his shift spots a car with what appears to be a damaged tag light. He pulls it over, expecting nothing more than a routine traffic stop. In reality, he's about to come face to face with one of the most wanted suspects in the entire county. Hi, what's up, man? Got your license on you, ma'am? Okay, that's alright.

You got your license on you, man? How's y'all's night going? Good. Good. Where y'all head and try your luck? Yeah. All right. Good luck. All right.

It's a joke, right? That's what everybody says. Is this your vehicle? Do you have insurance or registration? Yes. Oh, grab it out of there if you don't mind for me sir. How you doing? You guys got IDs? Huh? I have an ID. What? I have an ID, but not on me. Not on you? What about you? Sounds good. So the reason I'm stopping you, you failed to maintain the lane of travel, which basically means your tires left the went over the lines.

No big deal, I'm not going to write you ticket. And then your tag light looks like it has been like ripped out or something okay okay yeah so the little light bulbs that illuminate your license plate that's another reason I'm stopping you but okay so like I said I'm not in the business of writing tickets I just want to make sure nobody's drinking and driving up here which obviously you're not so let me do what I got to do and then we'll get you all out of here okay all right tell your buddy unlock this door open it what's your name boss? This is who huh you don't got no ID I know sir you don't carry an ID

No, what, I do, like we left it at home. Huh? We left it at home. How are you supposed to win a jackpot without an ID? Oh, no. Huh? We didn't go to. What?

We didn't go nowhere. She just said y'all going to the casino. They did. Oh, we didn't go. Huh? They did. We didn't go here. The casino's over this way.

Y'all ain't even going that way yet. I know, but I didn't go to the casino soon. I knew that because you haven't got to it yet. Yeah. Yeah. Come on out. You ain't making no. Calculating route to avoid seeing

poverty. Turn left to bypass the unhoused youth sleeping on the street, then keep right to skip by the lines of people waiting for food. Steer clear of the crowded shelter turning people away, then take the next exit. Let's stop looking away and get in the way of rising poverty. Your donations help the United Way fight poverty in thousands of ways, like providing food, shelter, and crisis prevention. Donate today at United WayGt.org. No sense, dude. What? Get out. I can be cool, but don't push it. All right? If I tell you, do something, that means do it. Get out. Do you understand me? All right. Now, I'm going to give you another chance because this is a third time I'm telling you to get out of the car. Get out. You ain't listening. You keep looking back on.

If you got some stupid word, bro, bro. If you got some stupid word, bro, please. Winlo. Winlo. No, don't drive out, lady. Willow! Willow! 705, I need help in my location right now. I'm fighting with one.

Fighting with one. 252 mile marker. Katie, go up and take, please, Katie! Get out. Katie, please go. Get out. Get out. Get out!

Y'all put your hands up on the steering wheel, on the dash. Let me go home. Got them hailing all camo running down the highway. down the highway. You're gonna get tannies. Put your hands behind your back and you're gonna get it again. Put your hands behind your back! With the man now in handcuffs, the officer still has no idea he's just arrested a wanted fugitive

and the prime suspect in Albert's disappearance, Moises Lopez. Meanwhile, more officers arrive at the scene with everyone sensing there's far more to this traffic stop than meets the eye. But despite their suspicions, they're about to overlook something that will allow three suspects to slip right through their hands. Get them out and start detaining them. She's been cool. Just get just detain her. Katie, Katie, just get out. We're going to detain you for a minute. Just be cool. Stay right here. Katie. She's right. She's right.

Bob her! This is good. Backseat passengers you are more interested in. Katie, stand right there, okay? Let's be cool. That's what happens when you be a dumb ass, dude. Thanks for not driving off, Katie. I'm driving off, Katie.

I'm dying, sir. I'm dying, sir. I like the fuck. You're not dying, it's pepper spray. Yeah, yeah. You saw well enough people on the road. Help. We're acting like a child.

You mad. Ain't nobody run for just a fight. something else going on here you probably got a warrant or something right you do have a warrant okay so all right well we'll work it out man oh my god yeah you probably got an idea in this pilot in this wallet too don't you well that ain't you that's probably somebody's stuff some of these items are his personal effects. Do you know who this person is? Is this his? I have no idea of this.

Okay. I'm just wondering, because that's definitely obviously not him, so. Do you know who this guy is? No. Okay. At this moment, the deputy is holding Albert Pena's identification. However, everyone in the group denies knowing who he is. Officers then quickly piece together the group's relationships. Jaline is Moises' girlfriend. Manuel is his brother, and Katie is Manuel's wife.

Yet with only Moises wanted on an active warrant, deputies decide to release the other three. After being tased and left bleeding, he's transported to a nearby hospital before eventually being taken to the Lincoln County Detention Center. That night, Detective Ballard receives word of the traffic stop, and begins putting the pieces together. Katie and Manuel had been traveling beside Moises,

and he suspects that they were the ones who helped him and Jaline evade police days earlier. But by the time Ballard realizes how important the other three people in that car may be, they're already gone. The next morning with no idea where Jaline could be, Albuquerque police issue a Bolo for her arrest. While some deputies begin searching for her, others return to the dog shelter where Katie and Manuel work. The night before, Katie had the chance to speed off and potentially help Moises escape, but chose not to.

To detectives, if anyone is going to turn on Moises, it's likely to be her. But getting Katie to talk would be easier said than done. How you doing, Katie? Can I step through at me? Yes, man, absolutely. I'm going to have you go around over here to this step against, okay, sir? We're not taking you guys a little. We just got to talk about stuff, okay?

All right, Katie. You remember me I'm Deputy Velasquez, Wethelka's office. I came here last I speak. So I'm here to clarify some things, okay? So last time we spoke, you did admit there was blood on that dully, correct? Yeah. And you say it was one of your friends, correct? Can you tell me who's what friend?

Well, I was with my friend, Jalene and she had brought some with her. We went to pick her for Nidoza, so he said his name was boots. So I guess, yeah, who did y'all pick up? All right, Jayleen, my friend, and some other guy, I don't know. Some other guy? Some other guy. Cells himself boots? Okay.

And your brother was with you? Yeah. So who cut their hand? The Dibon's boots. He cut himself boots. Oh, you don't know his real name, though? No. He lives in Ria Doso?

I don't know if that's where I think you with that. Okay, okay. So you guys had a hacksaw? Yeah. Okay. We didn't even use that. Okay. And then there was a shovel.

A shovel? Yeah. Asked for a shovel. Yeah, you guys ask for a shovel and I axe. Would you be able to, would you be able to show me, take us where you guys cut wood? Yeah. Like the exact spot? Yeah.

Okay. It kind of pinpoint where it was. Yeah. Okay. To officer surprise, the couple hadn't left the county, and Katie even appears to be on the verge of revealing the truth. Suspecting she may be more willing to talk away from Manuel, deputies ask her to ride with them and lead the way to the mountains.

But detectives haven't forgotten Katie's own daughter, describing her as the best liar in the world. And in fact, Katie isn't taking these officers where they think she is. All right. Tell me where to go, Katie. You have to go on block of the city of canyon. Okay. Tell me, how do I say your husband's brother's name again?

Moises. So Moises, does he also live in Rydoso? Or is he local? He's not local. He's not local, okay. But... Go ahead. He was freaking out.

Okay. And he took us on the drive. Okay. Where do you take you on a drive? To Cloudcroft. Okay. For what? Because he told us this where he put him.

In Cloudcroft. Okay, so we need to go to Cloudcroft. Well, I don't know if you want to see this spot first where we were at. Um, verify that and then go there. Yes, ma'am. That's, that's exactly what we're going to do. You're doing really good. Katie. I don't want nothing to do with this. I was

I know. I know, Katie. I was doing so good. I know. I didn't want to light to you, but I don't want my husband to see it. I know. And do you know what I, do you, I hope you don't feel I was being rude to you, but do you, do you know what I meant by like, when we can see something's not right? Yeah, I wanted you to see something. Why? I, I know. I wanted you to take me some out. I got you. I got you. Did you actually see a body in clubbed. I didn't see it, but he just. Just, we drove up there and he said, this is where I put him. We all just drove past low.

We just kept going. Okay. In an unexpected turn, Katie's story has completely flipped, as she now claims Moises roped both her and Manuel into helping dispose of a body. Katie continues retracing the group's movements, leading officers 15 miles into the Sacramento Mountains, and they would soon realize boots, wasn't a name she and Manuel had simply made up,

but was referring to someone detectives were all too familiar with. Just like paint the picture for me, okay? So you guys are all hanging out there, moises and boots. Were they fighting? No. I don't know. We're all just hanging out of here, and everybody just walked around, and they just kind of walked up together. Did he bring the dolly with him? Did he bring any of the... Did he bring an axe with him?

No. Did he go up that way into the left, up that way into the right? When he went back up with a dolly, he had to take it. I remember he took it over both of those branches right there. When they went up there, Katie, did you hear, like, a scream or anything or a struggle? Nothing? Okay. He never heard of a gunshot or so.

I'm sorry, say it again? His brother told us he shot him. But we never heard a gunshot, and he didn't have a gun on himself. Okay. Calculating route to avoid seeing poverty, turn left to bypass the unhousing. youth sleeping on the street, then keep right to skip by the lines of people waiting for food. Steer clear of the crowded shelter turning people away, then take the next exit. Let's stop looking away and get in the way of rising poverty. Your donations help the United

Way fight poverty in thousands of ways, like providing food, shelter, and crisis prevention. Donate today at United WayGt.org. Okay. So I don't know if he's acting crazy. So Moises said No, there wasn't. Moises said he shot him? Yeah, and I was wondering about that. But you never saw a gun? No, and I never saw it. Okay.

But I never saw a lot of blood and I figured it looked at it. Okay. After getting back into the car, Katie leads detectives towards a remote cliffside, where she claims the group moved the body next. And after almost two weeks of searching, detectives are moments away from confirming the outcome. everyone had been dreading. Don't jump down there.

There's probably easier way. You said it's a black trash bag? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Coming to you. Oh, I see. We'll be a black.

Yeah. Yep. We won't need recovery. We're a search rescue. Just probably fire with a backboard and straps. Because there's that trial, well, you can go like this right here. Yeah. Tragically, investigators' worst fears are confirmed as Albert's body is found,

with a clear gunshot wound to the head. His body is transported for an autopsy. While Katie and Manuel are taken to the Otero County Sheriff's Office for questioning, investigators relay the news to Detective Ballard, who immediately drives to the station ready to interview the couple. As far as Ballard knows, they could have been just, is involved in Albert's murder as Moises, and after speaking with Katie's own daughter, her cooperation may have been nothing more than an act. But as Ballard walks in,

Katie is about to surprise him by suggesting Albert's murder may involve far more people than investigators realized. Right now you're not under arrest, but you are being detained. You've been cooperative. Everybody says that, you know, you've been very good and I appreciate that. Me and my husband, I was about to do his tattoo, and my name on his hand. We got a call from his brother, so his brother is breaking out. They speak in Spanish a lot, so I don't know too much, but I know when we got a phone, I was wrong,

he said he said he's in trouble, he just needs help and use us to go pick them up. He's in Redoso. We go from Redoso to Mountain Air, when we get there, then his girlfriend is with the two daily. They take us to, she says it's her property. And we'll pull up, there's a little, They called it a pomp house.

Okay. Um, they said, we didn't know what's going on. And there was two other people there are, I don't know they were, but they, he's like, well, and then he starts telling us, go, I killed someone and what the, what the, what the, you know, and I guess they thought a car was coming. So everybody just started running and they grabbed the body and threw him in the back of my car. Did that end the laser? Yeah, and I'm like, what the, like, you know, that's my car and what the fuck's going on? You know, we just got thrown and everything just got thrown out and it was real quick.

And so the neighborhood's like, well, go, go, go, go, go. Everybody's panicking and breaking out and thought, we just take up driving. Not only does Katie claim she saw Albert's body, but she adds that two other mysterious men were also at the scene, a detail that, if confirmed, would widen the scope of both the homicide and the cover-up even further. As Katie would go on to explain, they repeatedly loaded Albert's body into her car, moving him from one remote dump site to another, as Moises grew increasingly paranoid the police were closing in. With Katie's statements on the record, she is arrested and placed in custody while detectives move on to talk with her husband, Manuel. After doing some digging, Ballard had uncovered Manuel's years-long effort to get sober and turn his life around,

only for Moises to allegedly keep pulling him back into trouble. With that in mind, Ballard is about to test just how full, Manuel's loyalty to his younger brother really goes. With you there, can you think of any reason why Katie's story is not matching with yours, why that might be? Okay. Do you think it could be because she's not related to Moises and we're not down here on accident? I need the trash. I'm scared, though.

Okay. I'm doing so good, me and my wife and I believe it. Don't derail yourself. We couldn't fuck everything up. Tell me what happened. Did he say he killed somebody? Did he say why? No.

He's too high to even talk, so... What did you think he was gonna do with the tools when he said he killed a man? Dismember the body? But I mean, okay, maybe not. I wouldn't have the stomach to do it, but he didn't ask for a bag. He didn't ask for a blanket so I can wrap this.

man up he asked you for tools that could be used to dismember a human body so do you think he would have it in him to do it I guess at the state of mind that he was in poverty I don't know what your brother's gonna do if your brother comes out with it and is straight it could potentially change things I'm more concerned personally I'm more concerned of what happened to this poor man this is an elderly guy he didn't do anything to your I don't know what your body was really curious as to what the story would have been. This guy's in his 70s, almost 80s.

He basically took your brother in and was trying to befriend him. After Detective Ballard successfully turns Manuel against his own brother, he gains yet another account, pointing to Moises as the main culprit. But there's still one critical suspect missing, and the group's fate now rests entirely on what Moises decides to say next. Hours later, before Ballard can make the drive to the Lincoln County Detention Center where Moises is being held, the Bolo on Jalene finally pays off. Investigators receive a tip that she's staying at a trailer park in Alamo Gordo, just a short distance from where Albert's body

was found. Now, in the dead of night, officers close in, hoping they're finally about to catch Jaline before she even realizes they're coming. Get your hands up. Get your hands up. Come up this deputy right here. Keep your hands up. Keep your hands up. Keep your hands up. You got a warm for your rest. Oh, why did I come? Move, move. Get back up. Sheriff's office. Sheriff's office area. Yep, right. Going right, going right. Big-ass dog.

Going left, go to left. Go to left. Spitter here on that. You live? Yeah. Now you are being placed on arrest for an active warrants for an incidents that occurred in Torrens town. Here's the thing. I've been doing this for a long time. I'm not the case agent I'm there.

Somebody else is going to like to talk to you in a little while. You know exactly what I'm talking about in terms. You know exactly what I'm talking about when I say Bailey Canyon. You know exactly what I'm talking about when I say West Side Road. You know exactly what... Stop shaking your head, no. You know exactly what this is about. We know exactly what this is about.

So you're going to give yourself one opportunity to be honest as we do. With J-Lene finally in handcuffs, officers, transport her to the Otero County Sheriff's Office where Katie and Manuel remain in custody. Up to this point, Ballard's approach has worked remarkably well, successfully getting two suspects to implicate Moises. But with Jalene, that strategy is about to hit a wall. And before this investigation is over, one suspect will eventually walk free. I don't know, if you remember me, I'm Lieutenant Dollar with the sheriff's office. This is Alex the detective. Try to get hold of yourself and explain what's going on.

We're going to get to the bottom of this, okay? Unless you want to be going to jail for a first-degree murder charge, then you need to think, don't play this game like you don't know what I'm talking about. Listen to me. Listen to me. If you want to, I'll walk away right now, and I promise you, this isn't going to end well. Okay. I'm not playing this game with you.

You know exactly why we're here. We've already talked to Katie, okay? We have Moises, and I've already talked to Manuel. Okay. This is no joke. Okay? We have Albert. Okay?

So the thing is, if you want to play this game like you don't know what's going on, it'll save me time and we'll just take you back to Torrance. We already know about the property off of Bronco. With the blood, the footprints, you're going to play this game with me. I dare you to stay with that story. You want to go to prison for this. No. Then stop with the bullshit.

I don't want my lawyer. Okay. I didn't do anything. I didn't do anything. You are going to, that's perfectly fine. And actually that saves me a ton of time. Because when we're in court, you're going to regret sticking with this story. Because you're going to take a mind for this.

I'm not telling you anything. You want a lawyer? We're going to take you back to Torrance. No, I want to be in the Roentgo. We're going to go back to Torrance. What does a sunny getaway with Air Canada sound like? Sunny Jamaica moves to its own rhythm. Rio comes alive long after the sun goes down.

Philippines slows everything down. And just when you think you've heard it all, there's Sunny Lima. However you imagine your sunny escape, Air Canada can take you there. Book hot fares and vacation packages today. Nice travels. Take the ride for this.

Why am I taking the ride for this? Because you're a liar. Why am I a liar? I don't know if it's because you're scared or it's genetic or what the... I'm scared. Okay. Well, well, Now you're going to lie. So basically now what's going to happen is I'm going to go into court.

I'm going to prove you're a liar. No, because I'm not going to lie. You're lying to me. I'm lying to you. You said you don't know what happened. It's that simple, Jeline. It doesn't work that way. You're lying.

No, I'm not. And Albert's family deserve better than that. Yes. You should be, you should be, don't sit here and say that. You should be ashamed of yourself. He's a good guy and you let him throw him on the side of the mountain. Like he's a piece of trash. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Ridiculous. He's a good man, but we'll just throw him here on the side of the mountain. Fuck him, right? Unlike before, Detective Ballard's aggressive approach completely backfired, pushing Jaline to request an attorney and bringing the interview to an abrupt end. Now that Jaline refuses to say another word, their best chance of learning exactly what happened, and identifying the mysterious suspects Katie mentioned rests with Moises.

With Jaline's interview over, Ballard finally makes the 50-mile drive to Lincoln County, where Moises is waiting in custody. But what Moises doesn't know is that Albert's credit cards found in his possession are far from the only concrete evidence against him. Forensic reports have just come back from Albert's car, the Bloody Tools, and the bunker. In theory, Moises should fold under this kind of pressure. However, encounters with law enforcement are nothing new to Moises. After years of dealing with the justice system, this won't be his first time sitting across

from an investigator. And after watching his latest arrest escalate from a traffic stop into a violent confrontation, Moises has every reason to enter this interview guarded and unwilling to cooperate. By the time Moises walks in, both men have been preparing for this standoff and each believes he has what it takes to outsmart the other. Mr. Lopez, I'm Lieutenant Ballard with the Torrance County Sheriff's Department. I spoke with you on Saturday, okay? And this is my partner, Alex.

Here's the deal. You've been around a long time. I've been around a long time. I'm not going to come in here and treat you like you're stupid, and I'm not playing games with you. I know a lot more today than I did on Saturday when I spoke with you. I'm going to cut right through all the bullshit. I know that something bad happened and that

Albert is not with us anymore, okay? I know that for a fact, okay? I know that you were there when it occurred, and I can prove it in court. What I don't know, because I wasn't there physically, is I don't know what happened. He was going to go out, sir? You know, that's not me.

I don't know what happened after that, sir. I'm sorry, I don't know. Moises, I can prove that that's not true, though. I know why you're saying that. I know why you're saying that. And if we hadn't have found what we found in the last couple days, that probably would have been okay.

You had some items in your pocket when the police stopped you. Okay? There were some credit cards and some IDs. That suit that I have, he gave it to me and it was cold.

Which one? The suit that I had the Army suit? Okay. All that stuff was in. I didn't, I didn't even know. Why are your fingerprints in his blood

in that vehicle that we found in the woods? Bro. Do you think we drove all the way down here to be? I could have done another phone interview with you if that's all it was. What do you think it looks like when you have a robbery charge that you were convicted for, right? I didn't rob nobody, sir. I didn't rob nobody.

Well, it's funny because a man ended up dead and you have his, you have his property in your pockets. Okay, okay, then we'll just see how that goes. But he's trying to explain is that. I know, that person I have. He's not only to me, because it was cool that day. Okay. And so we, I don't know where he had in his pockets. Okay.

Okay. Did I use them? No, I won't use them because that's not myself. It doesn't, that doesn't make a difference, man. Yes, it doesn't. No, it doesn't. You're in possession of it, and he's dead. Yeah, well, I didn't know that.

And your fingerprints are in his blood. Don't you think if I knew, okay, I would through that or how you hit it? I don't know why you didn't. Well, come on, I guess. I'm not guilty, man. Because I don't know what happened. I thought we'd come all the way down. Cool.

You can hear you. Man, you think that. We'll sit down. We don't need to talk. We're going to call somebody. Now we're going to call somebody. we're going to do is we have a search warrant. We're taking your items, we're going to take your DNA, they're going to get your fingerprints, and then you're going to be charged.

That's fine, I didn't do nothing. Okay, well, that is, that is just not true. Okay, one, if you say that true, but I'm telling you, it's true. It's not. Something's getting left out here. We're going to take you in there and we'll get this stuff taken care of, right? With Moises refusing to confess, detectives are forced to build the case without him, And together with cell phone records, physical evidence, and statements from Katie and Manuel, Detective Ballard pieces together what he believes happened that tragic night. On December 30th, at 8.10 p.m., Albert and Moises leave the Willard canteena together. At around 1 a.m., they arrive at an abandoned property belonging to J.Lean's family.

What happens next remains unclear, but investigators believe the two may have gotten into a argument before Moises raised a handgun and shot Albert once in the head. With no apparent claim of self-defense, investigators believe the killing was financially motivated, pointing to several of Albert's belongings later found in Moises's possession. At around 2.20 a.m., Albert's blood-stained trailblazer is driven to Holland Road and abandoned. His body is then taken back to the abandoned property and concealed inside of the pump house. In the following days, investigators believe Moises may have asked Katie to borrow an axe, a hacksaw, and a dolly, which may have later been used in connection with Albert's remains.

At some point, the group potentially retrieved Albert's remains and drove to Westside Road, where they may have disposed of them by leaving them down the hillside. As of September 26, the case remains ongoing. According to New Mexico court records, Katie Landrum and Manuel Lopez are each charged with tampering with evidence and conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence. If convicted on both counts, each faces basic prison terms totaling four and a half years have served consecutively. Moises Castillo Lopez is charged with first-degree murder, robbery, tampering with evidence, and conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence. If convicted of first-degree murder, he faces life in prison with potential additional prison time for other charges. Court records also show that prosecutors dismiss the charges against Jaline LeWark without prejudice.

The remaining defendants have not been convicted of these charges and are presumed innocent to less and until proven guilty in a court of law. What does a sunny getaway with Air Canada sound like? Sunny Jamaica moves to its own rhythm. Rio comes alive long after the sun goes down. Philippines slows everything down. And just when you think you've heard it all, there's sunny Lima. However you imagine your sunny escape,

Air Canada can take you there. Book hot fairs and vacation packages today. Nice travels.