New Mexico Hosts Annual Missing Persons Event
The Department of Public Safety's event offers families resources, case updates and DNA collection in one location.
Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Law Enforcement
The New Mexico Department of Public Safety hosted its annual "Missing in New Mexico" event, which gives families resources, case updates and DNA collection in one place. The event is required by a 2022 law.
Why it matters
New Mexico ranks among the highest in the U.S. for missing and murdered individuals, and the event aims to connect families with support and investigative resources. It reflects interagency efforts to improve responses to missing person reports across the state.
The murderer of Dione Thomas, killed in Gallup, New Mexico in 2015, has not been charged. No other case-specific legal status was reported at the event.
The players
New Mexico Department of Public Safety
The state agency that hosts the annual Missing in New Mexico event and oversees State Police, which trains officers to respond to missing person reports.
Dione Thomas
A woman killed in Gallup, New Mexico in 2015 whose murderer has not been charged, illustrating the case backlog behind the state's missing and murdered persons concerns.
The details
Families can report a missing loved one as soon as they feel uncomfortable and believe someone is missing. State Police training now directs officers to respond to reports regardless of jurisdiction, meeting with the family and taking the initial report before jurisdiction is addressed.
Timeline
2015: Dione Thomas was killed in Gallup, New Mexico.
2022: A law requiring the Department of Public Safety to host the event annually was enacted.
November 8, 2026: The annual missing persons event was hosted.
Legal Context
The annual event is a product of the 2022 New Mexico law that requires the Department of Public Safety to host it each year. It extends that statute into an ongoing practice, with the state's interagency collaboration between the FBI and local agencies now part of its missing persons response.
Families who suspect a loved one is missing should report it as soon as they feel uncomfortable, without waiting for proof. Attending the Department of Public Safety event offers access to case updates, resources and DNA collection in one location.
The takeaway
Reporting a missing person early, even before jurisdiction is settled, can speed the response, since officers are now trained to act first and sort out jurisdiction afterward. Families can use the annual event to connect directly with case resources.
Further reading
For related coverage, explore more Law Enforcement stories on New Mexico's public safety response.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KOAT 7.
