District Attorney Norman R. Wheeler announced that BRUCE ANGLIN was held without bond in a pre-trial detention hearing on Thursday, July 3, 2025, by Sixth Judicial District Court Judge Jennifer DeLaney. BRUCE AND SAMANTHA ANGLIN are charged with child abuse. BRUCE ANGLIN pleaded not guilty in the detention hearing. SAMANTHA ANGLIN stipulated to Detention, today. Both parents are awaiting trial in the Luna County Detention Center.
On June 20, 2025, Luna County Sheriff’s deputies received a call regarding a child that was believed to be locked in an outside metal shed on a rural property located near Lewis Flats and Pojoaque Roads. The officer located the rural property and found the entrance gate locked. After announcing and activating his emergency lights, the officer was able to gain access to the remote property through a barbed wire fence. While walking the property, he heard a child’s voice calling out from an outside shed. The officer found that the child was locked inside of the shed, with no electricity or running water and had a water bottle. She was able to communicate with the officer through a broken window. The officer was able to discern that the child had been locked inside the shed for more than 24 hours and that her parents and younger sister were currently in town. After the officers were able to gain access into the shed, the six-year-old was found in deplorable filthy conditions. She had visible bruises, a swelling eye and told the medics that she had eaten a tortilla and diced onion the previous day. She was transported to Mimbres Memorial Hospital for further medical evaluation.
Two adults, Bruce Anglin and Samantha Anglin were detained and then arrested. The 2 children, a 2-year-old and the six-year-old were placed in protective custody with the state.
