SANTA FE – The New Mexico State Police have arrested a man wanted in connection with a homicide investigation out of Illinois. The arrest occurred on November 4 around 5 p.m., after a State Police officer received an alert from a License Plate Reader indicating a stolen vehicle traveling westbound on Interstate 40 near milepost 342 in Quay County.
The vehicle, which had been reported stolen from Illinois, was also linked to a homicide being investigated by the Cicero Police Department. The officer located the vehicle and conducted a felony stop near milepost 345. Two males were inside, including a juvenile. The driver was identified as Naman Alfredo Vazquez through a Texas identification card.
Vazquez was taken into custody for possession of a stolen vehicle and transported to the State Police office in Tucumcari for processing. The vehicle was towed for further investigation.
While Vazquez was being processed, detectives from Cicero contacted New Mexico authorities and confirmed the vehicle belonged to a homicide victim. According to Illinois investigators, Vazquez is the primary suspect, accused of shooting, killing, and burning the victim before leaving the state.
The New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau obtained search warrants for both Vazquez and the vehicle. Vazquez did not provide a statement to investigators. Meanwhile, Cicero detectives secured an arrest warrant charging him with First-Degree Murder. The juvenile passenger was released to a relative.
Vazquez was booked into the Quay County Detention Center, where he will remain pending extradition to Illinois.