Eddie Joe Artiaga, 37, was reported missing from Alamogordo, New Mexico, on September 18, 2020. He had recently suffered severe injuries after being struck by a semi-truck, including severed fingers and a broken pelvis, and family said he was using drugs to cope with the pain.

A welfare check on Artiaga’s cousin, Steven Gonzalez, at a trailer in the 400 block of Post Avenue on September 25, 2020, led investigators to the scene. After an initial visit that missed key evidence, a follow-up search uncovered Artiaga’s decapitated and dismembered body inside the trailer. A wallet with Artiaga’s ID and credit cards was found on a table; Gonzalez’s mother had placed it there. Blood-stained totes and buckets were later found in the residence.

Gonzalez became the primary suspect. Family members described him as having behavioral and health problems, including possible brain damage, and officers reported he made spontaneous statements during the encounter. Gonzalez was arrested and later indicted on one count of second-degree murder; an arraignment was scheduled for June 27, 2022.

If anyone has information about Eddie Artiaga or his movements in September 2020, please share what is known.