Authorities in New Mexico have detained four individuals following the discovery of the deceased brother-in-law of Albuquerque’s city council president.

Albert Peña, aged 67, went missing from Torrance County on January 1, as detailed by the Albuquerque Journal. His last known location was at a business in Willard, approximately 13 miles away from his Mountainair residence, the previous day.

“From the outset, we were deeply worried about something grave, as my brother-in-law was always home to care for his numerous dogs,” explained Klarissa Peña, President of the Albuquerque City Council. “Initially, we couldn’t imagine he was a homicide victim, and such thoughts are hard to process, but uncovering the truth through investigations has been nothing short of a nightmare.”

During her inauguration on January 4, Klarissa Peña called for prayers for the “safe return” of her husband’s brother, as reported by KOB.

Following the grim discovery of her brother-in-law’s remains, Peña expressed gratitude to the community and shared that he is survived by his wife, a son, as well as several grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

“We urge you to join us in appreciating the efforts of all law enforcement agencies involved in finding Albert,” she stated. “There is an ongoing investigation in Otero County, and we ask the public for patience as authorities work to bring clarity to this tragic event.”

The Otero County Sheriff’s Office said it “obained information regarding Mr. Peña’s whereabouts” and “conducted an extensive search in the area of West High Road in High Rolls,” about two hours from where he was last seen, on Friday.

That search ended when they found a body, later positively identified as Albert Peña. The state medical examiner is conducting an autopsy to determine cause and manner of death. Authorities do consider his death a homicide.

The sheriff’s office said four people were arrested “in connection with this incident” but provided no further information.