‘Suspicious’ house fire in Los Lunas claims two lives

LOS LUNAS — Two individuals are dead following a suspicious house fire last week in Los Lunas.

At about 8 a.m., Tuesday, June 4, multiple agencies responded to reports of a structure fire on Santistevan Court off Carson Drive in Los Lunas.

Los Lunas Police Special Investigations Lt. Nikki DeAnda said LLPD were the first to arrive on scene following a call from a neighbor in the area. Los Lunas, Valencia County and Peralta firefighters arrived shortly after and were able to extinguish the fire that engulfed the east side of the mobile home.

DeAnda said the road remained closed until around 8:30 p.m. that night, and investigating agencies didn’t leave the scene until after midnight.

DeAnda said the back bedroom and hallway of the home were destroyed by the fire and, a woman, 47-year-old Rosemarie Alvarez, and a 68-year-old man, who is yet to be identified, were confirmed dead. She said Alvarez and the man had been dating each other for a long while.

DeAnda said LLPD has not yet released the name of the deceased man because they first need to notify the next of kin, but they are having trouble locating them as it appears they are living out of state.

While the cause of the fire is still being investigated by the state fire marshal, DeAnda said LLPD is investigating it as a potential homicide due to “suspicious circumstances.”

“It became apparent it was not just a structure fire; there was an element of crime,” DeAnda said. “We don’t know the cause just yet, but it’s safe to say it is an arson investigation.”

Being that it is an active investigation, DeAnda said she could not yet give further detail as to what the suspicious circumstances were, and that “it is a very complex case.”

DeAnda said the cause of death has yet to be determined by the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, who is conducting the autopsies.

DeAnda said there was a man residing at the residence who the deceased couple was renting two bedrooms to, but he was not home during the fire.

Three small dogs were also rescued from the fire and were picked up by the third resident to be cared for. There was no damage to neighboring properties from the fire, she said.