A man who had been reported missing by family members in August was identified deceased this week at a Las Cruces-area hospital.
Rudolfo Cadena, who went by Rudolph Cadena or Rudy Cadena, had been reported missing in early August. On Aug. 25, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department distributed a press release asking the public for help, and a few leads trickled in.
After Cadena’s vehicle was found abandoned, the case was assigned to a sheriff’s detective to investigate what appeared to be suspicious circumstances surrounding Mr. Cadena’s disappearance.
The detective learned that Cadena, 59, was known to hang out with friends at a house on Valley Drive near Tashiro Road.
On July 30, Cadena reportedly became ill and was transported via ambulance from the location on Valley Drive to Mountain View Regional Medical Center. For unknown reasons, Cadena did not have any identification on him. An assisting officer, trying to help identify Cadena, asked dispatch operators to run a check on the name Roberto Rodriguez. The officer thought Cadena resembled Rodriguez.
The name mistakenly stuck with Cadena during transport. Upon his arrival at the hospital, Cadena reportedly passed away. Medical staff advised sheriff’s detectives that he died of natural causes.
The identity mix-up led to a delay in locating Cadena. During the investigation, detectives had to file a subpoena on Sept. 1 to identify any John Doe bodies that had gone unclaimed at Mountain View. During the execution of the search warrant on Sept. 6, they discovered Cadena’s body, which was under the name John Doe or Roberto Rodriguez.
Family members confirmed it was Cadena earlier this week.
Cadena had a history of medical issues.
Information from Doña Ana County