By Roger Lanse
The Western New Mexico University Museum was broken into over the Nov. 1, 2026, weekend. WNMU officers were on another call when they were advised around 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, of a broken window to the museum. According to WNMU Police Chief Eddie Flores, since the WNMU officers were busy, Silver City Police Department officers offered to take the broken window call and reported everything looked okay.
When the museum opened the Monday morning following, Museum employees saw that someone had entered the museum through the broken window and four pots worth an estimated $1,000 were missing According to Museum personnel, three of the pots were on loan while the fourth was in the Museum's collection. All came from the Elk Ridge site on the Mimbres.
Flores told the Beat, because of surveillance cameras inside the museum, and other information, they have a suspect. The investigation, which is ongoing, is being handled entirely by Chief Flores and his officers.
