Missing Roswell woman found dead

Alert was issued for 80-year-old Dec. 3

A Roswell woman who went missing a month ago was found dead near Hagerman Friday.

According to the New Mexico State Police, 80-year-old Leotta Talbert’s body was found a few feet from her vehicle along the Pecos River at about 12:30 p.m.

Talbert’s body has been transported to the state Office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque and no cause of death has yet been determined.

The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish were completing an aerial survey Thursday when Talbert’s vehicle was discovered in the rural area near the Pecos River. State Police were called to aid in the search that led to the discovery her body.

According to State Police, the Chaves County Sheriff’s Office, Hagerman Police Department, Atoka Volunteer Fire Department and the U.S. Border Patrol assisted in the search.

A silver alert was issued for Talbert on Dec. 3, 2017, after Talbert reportedly left the Eastern New Mexico Medical Center in Roswell.

She was not officially discharged at the time the missing person’s report was filed. Talbert suffered from the onset of dementia.

The Roswell Police Department are the primary investigators for the case, said Officer Carl Christensen, public information officer with the New Mexico State Police.