The Disappearance of Cindy Rivera

Cindy Rivera went missing at the age of 19 on June 30th, 2012. The young mother was last seen at her father's house in Las Vegas, New Mexico, where she lived with her family members and a bedridden man who was under her care. Cindy left the home on the evening of June 30th, after telling the bedridden man that she would only be gone for a few minutes. Unfortunately, she never returned. 

Cindy left her infant son in the bathroom, and the bedridden man reportedly heard the baby crying all night. When Cindy's family members returned home the following morning, they found Cindy's slippers, a few cigarettes, and a lighter strewn across the ground outside. Both Cindy and Cindy's car were nowhere in sight. She was reported missing shortly thereafter.

Over the years, police have reportedly followed many leads in the case, but Cindy has still not been found. Cindy's family members believe that she was kidnapped and murdered. In fact, they originally named two different men as the probable killers: one of them being her ex-husband and father of one of her children. The family members later stated that they believed the ex-husband was the one responsible; they had even heard rumors that he bragged about killing Cindy and burying her in a remote desert area. 

Despite this, police initially did not the ex-husband or the other man as suspects in the case. They stated that they simply do not have probable cause to execute search warrants on either man. The media also did not release the names of either men.

Cindy's disappearance quickly faded into a cold case. News about her case was scarce for several years. Then, in 2021, an arrest was finally made - allowing the case to move forward for the first time since 2012. 

Anselmo 'Chemo' Richard Ortiz.

Ortiz. (source)

In June 2021, a man named Anselmo “Chemo” Richard Ortiz, then 37, was charged in connection with Cindy's disappearance. According to the affidavits, Ortiz is believed to have helped Cindy's ex-husband, Christopher Trujillo, kidnap and kill Cindy around the time of her 2012 disappearance. 

Cindy and Christopher Trujillo.

Cindy and Christopher Trujillo had been married but were no longer together at the time of Cindy's disappearance. The two shared a child together. Cindy is known to have seen Trujillo right before she vanished as Cindy had called her sister around 1:00 AM and said that Trujillo was intoxicated outside the home where she was caring for the sick patient. 

For years, Cindy's loved ones knew that Trujillo was likely responsible for her disappearance. The lack of progress in the investigation was both frustrating and devastating for her family members. Ortiz's arrest in 2021 is what finally caused the case to pick back up. However, it would take several years, and a rift between Ortiz and Trujillo for that to finally happen.

The relationship between Ortiz and Trujillo breaks down.

A year after Cindy's disappearance, Ortiz was convicted on drug-trafficking charges. He was in prison from 2013 to 2019. Upon his release, Ortiz reunited with Trujillo and began working for him at his towing company.

Eventually, their relationship began to sour. Trujillo reportedly accused of Ortiz of using company credit cards for personal charges. He also threatened to harm Ortiz's son. 

During April 2021, Ortiz reached out to investigators, stating he wanting to speak with them about Cindy's disappearance. He also began to reach out to Cindy's family members on Facebook. Around the same time, Trujillo began behaving erratically. 

Trujillo's death; information from his phone.

On May 2nd, 2021, Trujillo's wife contacted the police and stated that Trujillo was threatening to harm himself and Ortiz. Shortly thereafter, Trujillo's body was found in La Cienega. His death was ruled a suicide.

Police retrieved Trujillo's phone, which included record conversations that incriminated him in Cindy's disappearance. During one of the conversations, Trujillo stated "I killed my ex-wife, Cindy Rivera, and buried her in the national forest. I’m going to tell them [Ortiz] killed her and buried her."

Ortiz's charges and a failed plea agreement.

Trujillo's death meant that authorities would never be able to charge him with Cindy's murder - but they were still able to charge Ortiz for his involvement in the case. Ortiz was indicted for kidnapping and kidnapping conspiracy charges in July 2021. 

As previously noted, Ortiz's arrest affidavits stated that he allegedly assisted Trujillo with kidnapping, killing, and disposing of Cindy Rivera. The affidavits also revealed that Ortiz's wife and mother-in-law saw Ortiz and Trujillo together on the afternoon after Cindy's disappearance; they both were covered in scratches, dirt, and blood. Trujillo's relatives saw the two men together that day in a similar state as well. 

In September 2022, Ortiz accepted a plea deal in which he would serve 10 years in exchange for the location of Cindy's remains. He reportedly led 22 members of law enforcement to an area in Bernal where the officials searched for seven hours, but no remains were found. Investigators concluded that Ortiz "did not provide useful information" and as such, his plea agreement was revoked. 

A new agreement and sentencing.

In 2023, Ortiz accepted a new plea agreement. He was subsequently sentenced to 21 years with 4.5 of those years suspended. As such, Ortiz was ordered to spend 16.5 years in prison with 4.5 years of probation immediately following his release. 

Where is Cindy?

Following Ortiz's sentencing, District Attorney Tom Clayton told reporters that Ortiz may not actually know the location of Cindy's remains. He explained, "Quite honestly, I don’t think he knows where she’s at. He was so intoxicated that night, and it’d been 10-plus years."

Cindy's family still hopes to find her remains and give her a proper burial. Anyone with potential information is asked to contact the Las Vegas State Police at 505-425-6771.

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Sources:
Charley Project
KOB 4
Las Vegas Optic, (2)
Sante Fe New Mexican, (2)