Part 4 of our Mental Health Series: Jailed Mentally Ill Resident's Family Want Changes

By Marco Grajeda

Las Cruces, NM – In New Mexico over 120,000 children and adults suffer from serious mental illnesses; including schizophrenia and manic depression. Carlos Preciado Jr. of Las Cruces is just one of the hundreds of thousands in the state suffering from mental illness. He was arrested last summer after killing a pedestrian while fleeing from police in a stolen SUV. Preciado's parents say the tragedy could have been avoided, had the courts intervened to force their son to take his medication. KRWG's Marco Grajeda has this report the fourth of a five part series on mental health.