Body found in burning vehicle

PORTALES — Officials on Tuesday discovered a body inside a burning vehicle west of Portales, but said Wednesday night they still had little additional information.

“There hasn’t even been a determination on if there was foul play or not,” Deputy District Attorney Jake Boazman said.

Boazman said there was no information yet available as to the identity of the vehicle’s occupant.

District Attorney Andrea Reeb said the body was found in the driver's seat of the vehicle. She said officials did a "partial" activation of the Major Crimes Unit, meaning "three or four" investigators were called in to determine if a crime occurred.

"We need OMI (Office of the Medical Investigator) and (an) arson report to determine what occurred," Reeb said.

Roosevelt County Sheriff Malin Parker said the Portales Fire Department and sheriff deputies were dispatched to an address in the county in reference to a vehicle fire at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

“After extinguishing the fire, fire department officials notified deputies of a body inside the vehicle,” Parker said.

“We have very little information at this time and nothing further is available,” Parker said. He declined to further specify the location of the vehicle apart from saying it was west of the city.

“I will release further information as it becomes available,” he said.

Editor David Stevens contributed to this report.