On December 19, 2021, at about 12:19 p.m., officers responded to reports of gunfire and a vehicle crash at a residence on Guadalupe Street in Peralta, New Mexico. A silver pickup had struck a tree and 29-year-old Rodlyn Delaney Pierce was found dead next to the vehicle with an apparent gunshot wound. Investigators say Brandon Mendoza, 22, drove to the residence with his 19-year-old sister, Vanessa Mendoza, and that Brandon allegedly fired the fatal shot. The siblings reportedly fled in a white Toyota Corolla that was later found at the home of 45-year-old Maria Carter and Vanessa Mendoza.

Arrest warrants were issued December 20, 2021, for Brandon and Vanessa Mendoza and Maria Carter. Brandon was charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence; Vanessa and Maria faced conspiracy and tampering with evidence charges. Vanessa and Maria were arrested and booked; on December 21, 2021, Brandon and his father, James Mendoza, were taken into custody at a Tijeras residence. Rodlyn Pierce, born May 4, 1992, was remembered as a kind person who loved her puppy Duke and left scriptures and notes for her mother.