By Jesse Jones
Bernalillo police officers found two people experiencing homelessness, a 44-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman, dead in a tent in the arroyo behind the Denny’s on U.S. 550 on Jan. 18.
Police Chief Chris Stoyell said officers responded when a caller reported concerned that people in a tent may have frozen. Officers determined the two likely died from exposure to the cold.
“Officers didn’t see any physical signs of anything outside the ordinary,” Stoyell said. “We’re waiting for toxicology from the (Office of the Medical Investigator), but the preliminary looks like they probably froze.”
According to the National Weather Service, temperatures dropped to 24 degrees on the night of Jan. 17, and it was even colder the days before.
The Bernalillo Fire Department responded to the scene and confirmed the individuals were deceased, Stoyell said. The names of the deceased have not been released pending notification of the families.
Homeless deaths from exposure are uncommon in Sandoval County, despite the lack of shelters, Stoyell said.
With no homeless shelters in the county, unhoused individuals must seek assistance in Albuquerque. Stoyell said he did not know of any local nonprofit organizations serving Bernalillo’s homeless population.
According to the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness, an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people experience homelessness in the state each year.
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