On October 13, 2024, at approximately 2:14 PM, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a shooting at 55 Young Rd, Tijeras. The caller informed BCSO that he had heard multiple gunshots from the property. After hearing the shots, he tried to reach them by text but got no response. He also honked his car horn but still heard nothing. The family included a father, mother, adult son, and a teenage daughter.
Deputies arrived at the property and encountered a man in his mid-20s, later identified as Adlai Mestre, 24, exiting the residence. He was detained and found to be in possession of a handgun and a loaded magazine. While being detained, Mestre reportedly said, “I killed them and was going to bury them.”
Upon entering the residence, deputies observed blood transfer patterns consistent with dragging and cleaning. Additionally, they discovered a knife and a meat tenderizer hammer near the front door with apparent blood on them.
Outside the property, in a small arroyo, deputies located the deceased bodies of two adults and a juvenile, all with apparent gunshot wounds. The scene was secured for detectives.
BCSO deputies transported Mestre to the main substation for an interview. At approximately 5:30 PM, the interviewing officer advised Mestre of his Constitutional Rights per Miranda, and Mestre indicated that he understood. During the interview, Mestre described hearing “seismic waves” and shooting at cell towers. He also mentioned having thermal imaging on his house. When asked about his family, Mestre stated that he had killed his father in one room of the residence. He then killed his mother as she came down the stairs. However, wasn’t sure about his sister. He admitted to dragging their bodies outside to bury them in the ravine. Mestre also mentioned cleaning up by mopping before being interrupted by deputies. Mestre stated that he had to shoot his dog, which according to the criminal complaint was found on the property with at least one gunshot wound.*
In the criminal complaint, the interviewing deputy noted that Mestre had apparent blood on his shoes, shirt, and hands. He repeatedly asked the interviewing BCSO deputy how many people had died at the house, to which the deputy responded that they did not know as they had not yet been to the scene.
While searching for the bodies, deputies observed three individuals lying face down in a ravine with significant injuries. They were determined to be deceased and appeared to have been stabbed. BCSO has confirmed that Mestre’s family consists of his father, Raymundo (46), his mother, Bertha (51), and his teenage sister, Breille (17).
Adlai Mestre is suspected of shooting and possibly stabbing his father, mother, and sister. He is accused of dragging their bodies from the house to a ravine and placing them face down approximately 50 yards away. Evidence at the scene, including a pink mop and signs of mopping, supports these allegations.
Based on the physical evidence, Mestre’s interview, and observations made by initial responding deputies, he was arrested on three counts of murder, four counts of tampering with evidence, and extreme cruelty to animals. The four counts of tampering are related to the dragging of each body from the home and the mopping of the blood.
At approximately 7:00 PM, while the interviewing deputy was finishing the booking paperwork, Mestre became agitated and punched and kicked the wall of the interview room, creating a hole. He escaped through the hole but was apprehended by detectives in the hallway without further incident. An initial estimate for the cost of repairing the damaged wall is between $1000 and $2500.
Due to Mestre’s actions, additional charges of escape from police custody and criminal damage to property were added to his case. We noted that there were five counts of tampering with evidence on NM Courts.
From what we could tell, Adlai Mestre did not have any previous convictions as an adult.
You can read our initial report on this homicide here: https://abqraw.com/post/bcso-investigating-homicide-in-tijeras-one-person-in-custody/
Today at 11:30 AM, BCSO Sheriff John Allen will have a press conference to discuss the latest developments in the case.
*In a document release today, BCSO stated that “detectives found a K9 suffering from several gunshot wounds. The K9 was transported to a vet by animal control. We were advised the K9 would need to be put down.”
BCSO also stated at the press conference that the firearm located on Mestre is believed to be a handgun purchased by his mother several years ago. No other firearms were located inside the residence. BCSO reiterated that Mestre repeatedly made statements to detectives that consisted of delusional statements.
[…] You can read our update on this here: https://abqraw.com/post/man-kills-family-and-dog-attempts-to-bury-bodies-in-tijeras-ravine/ […]