ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (TCN) — A man accused of killing and dismembering his mother and storing her remains in a freezer has been arrested and taken into custody.
Leroy Vallejos, 49, was charged with first-degree murder, battery, battery of a household member, and tampering with evidence on Nov. 5, WFLD reports.
The body of 69-year-old Ernestina Lucero was found on Oct. 28 when officers arrived at her home for a welfare check. Her son, Vallejos, allegedly said he had not seen his mother for a week and told a home health care company he still wanted to be paid for her care, KRQE reports.
When officers arrived for the check, Vallejos told them his mother had gone to Mexico. Officers then searched the home and found a freezer with garbage bags containing human remains, according to the Office of the Medical Investigator, KRQE reports.
Detectives later learned that another relative had also reported Lucero missing on Oct. 23.
The Albuquerque Police Department said Vallejos told an officer he had fatally choked his mother three weeks prior and alleged she was conspiring against him with a group of people “giving their lives to darkness.”
Vallejos remains in custody at Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center. The investigation is ongoing.
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