Do you know who murdered Deputy Juan Ortiz in September of 1978? Juan Leo Ortiz, a 33-year-old Hispanic male, was a Deputy Sheriff with the San Miguel County Sheriff's Department in New Mexico. His life was cut short in an act of retaliation on Sunday, September 17, 1978, just three weeks after a fateful encounter in the Santa Fe National Forest. While on patrol, he had confronted several individuals who were reportedly harassing campers.
The situation escalated, and when one of the men aimed a rifle at him, Deputy Ortiz fired his weapon, killing the suspect.
The decision made in the line of duty appeared to have marked him. On that September day, just one day before he was scheduled to resign from the department, Ortiz was at his ranch in the peaceful area of Rociada, near Maestas Canyon. He was not on duty, but the danger of his profession followed him home. From a distance of 200 yards, a hidden assailant took aim with a. 300 caliber rifle and fired, gunning down the deputy.
The remote location and the calculated nature of the attack allowed the shooter to flee the scene without being identified. In the aftermath, investigators determined the murder was a direct reprisal for the shooting incident that had occurred weeks earlier. Despite their efforts, law enforcement was never able to apprehend a suspect, and the case grew cold. The murder of Deputy Juan Leo Ortiz, a man survived by his wife and four children, remains unsolved to this day, a lingering testament to the ultimate sacrifice he made.
