Remains found in walls of building in Ruidoso Downs ID'd as man who disappeared in 2018 (NM)

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | April 29, 2026 | Matthew Reisen

[CedarDave]

The family of Freddy Ray Baca told authorities they "long feared what had happened to him,” although they never reported him missing.

On Wednesday, those fears were confirmed.

Remains found in 2023 “between two walls” in a building in Ruidoso Downs have been identified as Baca, who was 41 or 42 when he was last seen in 2018, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office announced in a news release.

The sheriff’s office said the case is being investigated by the 12th Judicial District Major Crimes Unit. The release did not give a cause of death for Baca, and a call to the sheriff’s office was not immediately returned.

On June 21, 2023, construction workers found “mummified human remains” in the walls of a building in the 27000 block of U.S. 70 in Ruidoso Downs, according to a Facebook post made by then-Sheriff Michael Wood. The building is in a rural area west of Ruidoso where the Rio Ruidoso runs alongside farmland and RV parks.

Wednesday’s news release states the sheriff’s office teamed up with Marshall University in 2024 to obtain a DNA profile from the remains and use it in a genetic genealogy search. Authorities found 30 people across the nation with “familial ties.”

This month the search yielded a close relative who said “they had a family member who had been missing for years.” Dental records were used by the Office of the Medical Investigator to identify the remains as Baca.

“It was learned Freddy was last seen by family in 2018,” according to the release. “Freddy was not reported missing, but those who loved him had long feared what had happened to him.”

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TOPICS: Conspiracy; Local News; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: 2018; coldcase; dentalrecords; freddyraybaca; genealogy; helixmakemineadouble; lincolncounty; missingman; newmexico; ruidosodowns

[CedarDave]

According to the Lincoln County sheriff, the case “remains very active” and asked anyone with information on Baca’s death to call detectives at 575-648-2341.

[CedarDave]

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[Third Person]

inspired by Sicario perhaps

[Clay Moore]

Winner of the 2018 hide and seek championship izzzzzzz! (Drum roll)

[jerod]

..."Freddy was not reported missing, but those who loved him had long feared what had happened to him.”

If he wasn't even reported as missing... It appears that nobody loved him... Poor S.O.B.

[OldHarbor]

Did he fall somehow in between or was he sealed in on purpose .

[Jamestown1630]

Maybe he was in the habit of going off or ha bad relations with family.

[LegendHasIt]

I didn't do it!!!

Although my parents DID own a motel there back in the 1960s. (Not one of your better investments, Dad ;-)

[TheThirdRuffian]

I kind of vaguely heard about someone being found in some walls in the Downs.

I’ve never heard of him and live in Rui. It’s not like this is a big town, either.

He’s apparently been missing since 2018 according to another story but no one bothered to report it. Says a lot.

On another note, we had a cop I kind of know get busted in El Paso for soliciting prostitution, which I’d say is unsurprising.

[yesthatjallen]

When people die and are left unattended, they give off a distinctive fragrance.

[Pontiac]

If you are bricked up in a masonry wall that fragrance may have a hard time getting out.

[Pontiac]

I have read about a number of less intelligent individuals that got stuck inside some tight place during an attempted burglary and expired only to be discovered years later.

[HartleyMBaldwin]

“For the love of God, Montresor!”

[HandyDandy]

All for a cask of Amontillado……

[Hot Tabasco]

Winner of the 2018 hide and seek championship izzzzzzz!

Sorry, but that prize went to that dude named Sasquatch......

[A strike]

‘The Tell-Tale Heart’

[piasa]

Maybe it is a case where he was homeless and people had gotten used to him disappearing for long stretches of time and given up on him.

I know a former homeless guy by the same name from out west who was like that before his sister and her husband talked him into coming to FL and letting them and our church help him get back on his feet. It was tough, at one point he got mad and went back to the west where nobody could find him for a while. His poor health finally helped forced him to come to Jesus and get straightened out. Seems to be working so far, he isn’t cantankerous anymore and he helps others.

I feel sorry for this guy and hope he passed instantly rather than suffering alone wondering if anyone would find him.

[piasa]

(same last name not first)

[allendale]

New Mexico ought to drop the word “New” from its name. Then its name would better describe its true nature.

[OldHarbor]

Montresor's revenge on Fortunato

The wall was now nearly upon a level with my breast. Unsheathing my rapier, I began to grope with it about the recess