A family is grieving a New Mexico mother and daughter after they were both separately killed the same day.
While at the University of New Mexico, freshman Haylee Gonzalez, 21, heard her mother, Stacia Pearce, 38, had been fatally shot in Roswell on September 8, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
Gonzalez was picked up from campus by her cousin to drive Roswell to be with their loved ones, per the newspaper.
During the drive, a semitrailer ran a red light on Interstate 40 and crashed into Gonzalez and her cousin, killing Gonzalez and critically injuring the cousin in Albuquerque, according to police.
“All they wanted to do was get back to Roswell to heal, and it’s unfortunate this happened,” Tula Pearce, Stacia’s cousin, told the Albuquerque Journal. “We’re all kind of in shock because what’s the chance of this even happening? Within the span of six hours, the family’s already lost two people.”
Earlier that morning, Stacia’s friend called police to report they heard several gunshots at Stacia’s Roswell home when they were speaking with her over the phone, according to Roswell police.
The friend could no longer hear Stacia on the phone after the shots rang out, police said in a news release shared later that day.
Stacia and a 39-year-old man, Tony Joseph Ontiveros, were ultimately found fatally shot inside Stacia’s home, according to police. Stacia’s vehicle was also stolen from the home, though the car has since been found.
Officers have “made contact” with a person of interest, Manuel Gallegos, in connection with the shooting, police said in an update on Friday, September 11. Authorities haven’t shared additional details on Gallegos but did state that no arrests have been made. It wasn’t immediately clear whether he retained legal counsel.
“Our family is heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected loss of Stacia, and we are now facing preparing her funeral and a small celebration of life,” Stacia’s stepdaughter, Brittany Maidment, wrote in a Friday Facebook post.
Stacia has two other children, a 6-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl, Maidment said.
“Stacia leaves behind two children, ages 6 and 12 years old, who are now facing the unimaginable heartbreak of losing their mother,” Maidment wrote in a GoFundMe she created to support Stacia’s family. “Their father is left to raise them on his own as they grieve the loss of their mom and sister.”
Gonzalez’s cousin, Noelle Sanchez, was still hospitalized as a result of the crash as of Monday, September 14, KOB-TV reported.
Sanchez is a cheerleader at the University of New Mexico, according to the university’s Spirit Program.
In an Instagram post, the program shared a photo of Sanchez, writing, “Noelle is currently recovering from injuries sustained in an accident, while her family is also grieving the heartbreaking loss of her cousin, Haylee.”
