New Mexico Woman Charged with Murder After Husband’s Body Found Wrapped in Plastic in Their Carport

New Mexico Woman Charged with Murder After Husband’s Body Found Wrapped in Plastic in Their Carport
Deana Thetford of New Mexico has been charged with first-degree murder after authorities discovered her missing husband, Craig Thetford, dead and hidden in their carport. She allegedly confessed to shooting him during a domestic altercation, then used a tractor to move and conceal his body for months before fleeing to Texas.

Craig Thetford was reported missing in May 2024; his body was found a month later wrapped in plastic under trash.
Deana Thetford allegedly told her daughter she shot Craig in a rage and dragged his body with a tractor.
She fled to Texas, where she bought property using cash; over $84,000 and firearms were later found in their safes.
Thetford is being held without bond in Wichita County Jail and faces charges of first-degree murder and evidence tampering.
 
A New Mexico woman who initially told police that her husband had gone to Mexico with another woman has been arrested and charged with his murder after authorities discovered his decomposing body hidden under trash and debris in the carport of their shared home.

Deana Thetford was taken into custody in Wichita County, Texas, and is being held without bond on charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence, according to the Otero County Sheriff's Office and court records. She is accused of killing her husband, Craig Thetford, 60, sometime between January and May of 2024, and hiding his body for months on their property in Otero County, New Mexico.

The investigation began on May 12, 2024, when concerned family members requested a welfare check after not hearing from Craig since January. When Otero County deputies visited the Thetfords’ residence on May 15, Deana claimed Craig had left her and gone to Mexico with a new girlfriend to go fishing. She also told deputies the couple was in the process of divorcing.

Deana showed deputies two locked safes that reportedly belonged to her husband, stating she didn’t know the combinations. She claimed that Craig had taken as much as $1.5 million in cash with him to Mexico. However, inconsistencies in her statements soon emerged. During a follow-up interview, she changed her story, now saying Craig had gone to Texas to care for his mother—a claim his sister later disputed.

Deputies also noticed unusual details on the property, including a 4- to 5-foot-deep hole in the front yard, which Deana said was intended for a raised garden bed, and non-functioning security cameras that could have recorded any activity around the time of Craig’s disappearance.

On May 13, just one day after the initial welfare check, Deana’s adult daughter called investigators and revealed disturbing details. According to her statement, Deana admitted during a phone call that she and Craig had a violent altercation, during which he allegedly pushed her down the stairs. In a fit of rage, Deana allegedly shot Craig multiple times.

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