SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - Federal authorities say the remains of a man who went missing in May have been unearthed at a home in northern New Mexico.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports (https://bit.ly/1fyF93f) that prosecutors are charging 66-year-old Jack Patterson Jr. in the murder of 29-year-old Benjamin Youngbear.
Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs investigators excavated Youngbear’s remains in a shallow grave at Patterson’s Chamita home last week.
According to a criminal complaint, Patterson admitted to shooting and killing Youngbear in self-defense once the remains were recovered.
Tribal police say Youngbear, of the Northern Cheyenne Nation, was reported missing May 27.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says an alleged accomplice, 24-year-old Antonio Valdez, remains at large.
Valdez is facing charges of aiding and abetting in a murder.
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Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, https://www.sfnewmexican.com
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