State police discover body, arrest six while searching Taos residence

New Mexico State Police officers arrested six people on outstanding warrants and discovered a body while searching a residence on Harris Drive in Taos on Jan. 26. Police arrived at the home looking for a wanted man, who fatally shot himself during the search.

After arriving at the residence, located at 810 Harris Drive, officers found a group of individuals outside the home who informed the officers the man they were searching for, 62-year-old Robert Geyer, was inside the residence.

When the officers encountered Geyer at the front door to the residence, Geyer produced a firearm and shot himself in the head, according to police. Geyer was transported to Holy Cross Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

While searching the property, officers located the dead body of a woman beneath the residence. As of Monday morning (Feb. 5), the remains had not been identified and the cause of death was still under investigation.

A family member of the deceased female told Taos News reporters there is reason to believe the body found was a product of homicide. Police have not commented on whether the case is being investigated as a homicide.

While interviewing people outside of the residence, officers found six of them had outstanding warrants. Jeremy Badhand, 39; Julia Cebada, 30; and Angelica Cantu, 25, were arrested on warrants of drug possession. Joe Gomez, 47, was arrested on a warrant for assault. Martika Anaya, 26, was arrested on a warrant for failing to appear in court on a shoplifting charge. Ashley Gonzalez, 30, was arrested for failing to comply with drug court.

Geyer’s warrant stems from charges filed against him on Dec. 27, 2023, when a New Mexico State Police officer pulled him over after he failed to use a turn signal. The officer found 46 fentanyl pills throughout the car and two pipes. A warrant for his arrest was issued Jan. 11.