Woman sought in fatal crash

Española police: Hit-and-run after argument was murder

Española police were searching Friday afternoon for a woman suspected of using a pickup to run over and kill another woman.

“We are looking for her,” Española Police Chief Mizel Garcia said of suspect Stephanie Renee Salazar in an interview around 3 p.m. Friday.

“We have had reports that she is still in Española,” he said. “I have my detectives out this afternoon trying to find her.”

According to an affidavit for arrest filed Thursday in Rio Arriba County Magistrate Court, Salazar, 34, is being charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery and tampering with evidence in the death of Carmela Mercedes Moreno on Wednesday night.

The affidavit, which says the incident took place on Carr Lane, notes residents called police around 9:30 p.m. regarding a person being hit by a vehicle.

Moreno, the victim, was still alive when police arrived but died en route to the hospital, the document says.

A witness said Salazar was driving a blue Nissan Frontier pickup that hit Moreno. The witness said Moreno had been “hanging out” with a man who may have been Salazar’s ex-boyfriend.

The witness told police Salazar and Moreno had been arguing on nearby Star Lane “just before the hit-and-run,” according to the affidavit.

The truck, which belonged to Salazar’s uncle, was found in an area near Holy Cross Catholic Church. The affidavit says the police department has surveillance camera images showing a pickup matching the description “going to the area of the hit-and-run at approximately 9:20 p.m.” The footage also shows the truck leaving Carr Lane at 9:30 p.m. as police officers first arrived.

The affidavit says tire markings at the scene indicate “the victim was hit by the vehicle, [dragged] through a barbed wire fence and through brush to her resting point where responding officers located her.” Online records indicate Salazar pleaded guilty to a felony drug possession charge in 2020 and has a pending charge of battery and vehicle theft stemming from an incident in July. She also has a long list of past misdemeanor charges, though not all of them resulted in convictions.

Garcia said his agency is asking for help locating Salazar. Anyone with information can call 505-753-5555.