This article was published by the Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative. To learn about the Collaborative's work visit https://www.surnmnoticias.org/ .

SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO – The last time Janie Malley saw her husband Joseph, 45, alive was the morning of Feb. 27 at their home in Rodeo, a tiny community in the desert of New Mexico’s Bootheel.

It was a typical work and school day with one exception: High winds were already picking up as their family prepared to set out from home. She helped her kids – ages 10, 13 and 17 – get ready for school, and they headed to the bus stop in her vehicle.

En route home, she passed her husband, who was starting his daily commute. Behind the wheel of his flashy purple-and-yellow F-150 pickup, he was bound for Lordsburg, about a 50-minute drive, to

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