Up to 20 human skulls found in New Mexico home, may be linked to missing woman: police

As many as 20 human skulls were found in a New Mexico home after the man who lived there tossed bones out of a car while hitching a ride, according to police.

Police made the grisly discovery earlier this month at a residence in Jal “associated with rumors of human remains,” according to the Lea County Sheriff’s Office, which said some of them appear to belong to a woman who vanished in 2019.

Authorities began investigating after they received a troubling phone call from a resident who reported an “unsettling encounter” while offering someone a ride on Nov. 5.

The resident claimed the passenger, identified by police as Cecil Villanueva, “made alarming statements” and threw items from his vehicle — some of which “appeared to be human bones,” police said.

Police searched the area near a convenience store and found bone fragments that a pathologist later confirmed as human.

Authorities executed a search warrant on the home the following day and found additional bone fragments, including part of a skull and jawbone. 

Police said “10 to 20” human skulls were discovered during a second search of the house three days later.

The skulls were transported to the Medical Investigator’s Office in Albuquerque to be identified.

The sheriff’s office said the case is closely tied to the disappearance of 43-year-old Angela McManes, who was last seen in May 2019.

Her last known address was in the area of Villanueva’s residence, cops said.

“Authorities are working diligently to determine the connection between the remains and McManes, as well as other possible victims,” the sheriff’s office said.

Police are also investigating whether there was any foul play associated with the bones.

Undersheriff Michael Walker told KRQE that investigators believe the skulls could have been purchased online over the course of several years. 

Villanueva has not been charged in the case, but was in custody at the Lea County Detention Center on Wednesday on an unrelated misdemeanor charge of criminal trespass, officials said.