Family rebounds after holiday burglary, arson

LAS CRUCES - It has been nearly a year since Marietta Valdez, a single mother of four, lost her family home on Branding Iron Circle in an arson and burglary just days before Christmas. The interceding 11 months have presented one challenge after another, but Valdez and her family say they are grateful for the generosity they have received from friends, strangers and the community.

“Probably 98 percent of the stuff in here is donated,” Valdez said Tuesday, sitting on a sofa in the family’s new home. “After the fire, Hotel Encanto graciously put us up for two weeks while we figured out how to move forward. They even had a Christmas tree in our room, and toys and clothes for the kids that Toys for Tots donated. Strangers would come to the desk at the hotel, and the staff would call me down. They were bringing clothes for the kids and cash donations. I was so moved by that generosity.”

Early morning fire

During the early morning hours of Dec. 20, burglars broke into the family’s mobile home. After stealing what they could, they set two fires — one at each end of the trailer, Valdez said.

Valdez and her three children happened to be visiting family in Roswell when the fire occurred. Neighbors reported seeing smoke about 7 a.m. and called authorities. A friend of Valdez's family called her to tell her about the fire, and she and her children drove back to Las Cruces that day.

At one point, early in the investigation, the Valdez family had to be eliminated as suspects.

“That was difficult,” Valdez said. “The kids and I had to go into the police station and get swabbed, to compare it against some evidence they had found. After having been through so much — and I totally understand why it was necessary — but it was still difficult.”

After the fire

After the holidays and two weeks at Hotel Encanto, Staybridge Suites put the family up for an additional week. Then the family moved in with Valdez’s mother.

“It was really hard. There were six of us living in a one-bedroom apartment,” Valdez said. “During that time, my granddaughter was born in January. She was born in critical condition, and spent a month in El Paso in NICU.”

Between battles with health issues, vehicle problems, and dealing with insurance companies and fire investigators, Valdez said it often seemed like too much to manage.

“The biggest challenge was just getting through every day. I was trying to remain focused on the positive,” Valdez said. “I just had to focus on the daily tasks that made life normal — getting the kids to school, going to work, cooking dinner.”

Lilly Valdez, 17, said it was painful to see her family trying to deal with the stress.

“It’s been a rough year — just seeing how broken down my mom was, and how sad the kids were,” Lilly said. “I tried to be strong, and help them through it in whatever ways I could.”

By August, the insurance settlement came through and the family was able to move into a new mobile home.

A community’s generosity

“I’m most grateful for my friends, my family and my community,” Valdez said. “That’s what held me together, and kept me focused on getting through the dark times. There were random strangers sending me private messages on Facebook, extending their sympathy, asking how they could help, what size of clothes the kids wear.”

The outpouring of support, she said, was overwhelming.

“It’s funny how things would work out. One person would contact me and say they had a futon mattress, but no frame. Then another person would say they had a futon frame, but no mattress,” Valdez said.

Antonio “Phat-Tony” Naranjo, a Las Cruces radio disc jockey at Hot 103, set up a GoFundMe account in the days following the fire. Through small donations, nearly $3,000 was raised to help the family.

Christopher, 10, had just won a trophy in his spelling bee at Booker T. Washington Elementary. It was destroyed in the fire, but the school presented him with a replacement trophy.

“It’s just little things like that that make you realize how kindhearted people are,” Valdez said. “The staff at Booker T. have been so great with the kids. They’ve offered so much support, and really gone above and beyond.”

Looking forward

Two arrests have been made in the case, and their trial is set to begin on Dec. 1, according to representatives of the 3rd Judicial District Attorney’s office. Enrique Nerios and Reuben Armijo are charged with arson, burglary and conspiracy. Armijo faces an additional count of tampering with evidence.

Meanwhile, the Valdez family continues to rebuild their lives. The hardest part is accepting some things cannot be replaced.

“My grandmother’s quilts, the baby books, my granddaughter’s ultrasounds — those things can’t be recovered,” Valdez said. “But, beyond the material things, the most important thing that we lost was our sense of security and safety. I feel like we’re always having to watch out. I work hard to have what we have, but for someone to take that away — it’s just so unsettling.”

Lilly Valdez said she is grateful her family is OK, and that everyone is healthy.

“We have a home now, and we’re getting settled in,” Lilly said.

“I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving, and to making new Christmas memories — not to erase last year, but to show the kids that this tragedy doesn’t define us,” said Marietta. “We got through this as a family, and life can be amazing despite the setbacks.”

Damien Willis can be reached at 575-541-5468 or dawillis@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on Twitter @damienwillis.