RELATED STORIES

• Albuquerque deputies seize items from dead woman's home

More Local

• ABQTrib.com to remain available
• Former Marine to serve two years in jail for killing Albuquerque robber
• Wilson-Pearce battle for U.S. Senate exemplifies party's disparity

MOST RECENT TRIB STORIES

• ABQTrib.com to remain available
  08:48 a.m., February 25, 2008
• Congressman is indicted
  08:37 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Series of attacks target Green Zone
  08:36 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Iran is defying U.N., agency says
  08:35 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Waterboarding approval probed
  08:34 a.m., February 23, 2008

TRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*

• Ty Murray Invitational thrills fans in Albuquerque
• Is Rome Burning?
• Ominous Skies
• The Road to Invalidation
• Albuquerque company participates in “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”

*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Comments
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

SHARE THIS STORY [?]

Apart from a few burglaries, the South Valley neighborhood where Norma Gutierrez Moya lived is mostly quiet and peaceful, residents say.

But it's different on the fringes of the neighborhood near the Rio Grande, where Moya's partially clothed body was found on July 27, they say.

"At night, I hear gunshots coming from there all the time," said Jackie Caster, who has lived in the area for almost 50 years. "The main thing everyone is asking: `Why was she walking there alone?' It's a dangerous thing."

The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department is investigating Moya's death as a homicide.

Moya, 37, was reported missing early in the morning of July 27 by her family. She had left home in the morning on July 26 for a walk with her dog. While the dog came back, Moya was found dead during a search on July 27.

No suspects have been named.

Sheriff's Department spokesman Lt. David Knowles said deputies are stepping up patrols in the area.

Still, people should take precautions, he said.

"People should do whatever they think is necessary for their own safety," he said. "We're encouraging people to keep a cell phone with them and travel with a friend."

Caster said she is happy about the extra patrols, but they're not enough to make her feel safe.

"I know they can't be everywhere all the time," she said. "I'm not walking anywhere. I go to the mailbox and back. That's it."

The bike path and dirt trail where Moya went to walk her dog on July 26 are popular with cyclists, but most locals don't go there, Caster said.

The path was mostly empty on July 30. The neighborhood near Rio Bravo Boulevard and Second Street Southwest has a rural feeling. The houses have big yards with dogs that bark at strangers.

"My dog barks at anyone a little strange," Caster said. "It's good, but I can't be looking out the window all the time."