On May 3, 2024, Taryn Allen, a 23-year-old White woman from Texico, New Mexico, was killed alongside her friend, 23-year-old Samantha 'Harley' Cisneros. The two women had spent part of the afternoon with Cisneros's two young daughters, stopping at a Dollar Tree store before heading to Ned Houk Memorial Park, located just north of Clovis, New Mexico.
Their day ended in a devastating act of violence that would leave both women dead and spark a multi-state manhunt.
Around 4:30 p.m., a 911 caller reported finding two women on the ground near a silver minivan in the park. When police arrived, they discovered the bodies of Taryn and Samantha. Both had been shot multiple times. Nearby, officers found Cisneros’s 5-year-old daughter, who was alive but critically injured with a gunshot wound to her head. The little girl was rushed to a hospital in Lubbock, Texas. At the scene, investigators found an infant car seat, a stroller, and a baby bottle, but Cisneros’s 10-month-old daughter, Eleia Maria Torres, was gone. An AMBER Alert was immediately issued for the missing baby.
The investigation quickly identified a suspect: 26-year-old Alek Isaiah Collins. Cell phone data placed him near the park around the time of the murders. A massive search was launched, and three days later, on May 6, Collins was arrested in Abilene, Texas. He was taken into custody after allegedly carjacking an Uber driver at gunpoint. The infant, Eleia, was found with him and safely recovered.
Collins was extradited to New Mexico to face charges. It was later revealed that he had previously been on the FBI's radar for making threats in calls to the agency, which had resulted in a mental health evaluation and a prohibition against him purchasing firearms in Texas. Initially, Collins faced state charges for murder, child abuse, and kidnapping. However, in June 2024, state prosecutors dropped their charges without prejudice as federal authorities took over the case.
Alek Collins was federally indicted in May 2024 on charges related to the murders and kidnapping. As of December 2024, the federal case against him is ongoing. His trial has been delayed due to changes in both the prosecution and defense legal teams. A judge ordered a change in his defense counsel because Collins is facing a potential death penalty as the federal proceedings continue.
