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Gallup Police Department seeking public help in missing persons cases

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All current leads exhausted

The input of a vigilant reader may be the next clue to help bring a number of missing persons home to Gallup.

At least that is what Gallup Police Department hopes for.

Lieutenant Billy Padavich held a special meeting for the press at Gallup police station June 6 to give details on four missing persons cases that the department is now seeking public help with.

“We have no [new] leads, and we’ve exhausted all our current leads at this point,” Padavich said.

 

EUGENA MARTINEZ AND TYRANNUS WHITE

The first two people Padavich spoke about are believed to be a couple, both of whom were reported missing to Gallup police on March 19.

Eugena Martinez, born in 1987, was last seen at McDonald’s west at the beginning of February, Padavich said. No word was given on the last known location of Tyrannus White, born in 1977, except that he reportedly picked her up from an unspecified location on March 11, and the two have not been seen since.

Padavich said Gallup police have been in contact with White’s parents, trying to pull info on White from people who know him, including his friends and associates, and checking previous known whereabouts.

“We believe they’re no longer in this area,” Padavich said. “We’ve had narcotics agents reach out to people on the street and ask about them. Nobody has seen or heard from them.”

Neither Martinez nor White’s family have heard from either of them and both families are concerned about the lack of contact, Padavich added.

As of June 6, both Martinez and White have been entered into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center database. Police have tried to ping the couple’s cell phones, checked their social media accounts, and any other information associated with them, such as social security numbers, birth certificates, and dental records.

These methods would allow Gallup police to be notified if either Martinez or White’s information is seen by local law enforcement, but to date that has not happened, according to Padavich.

He added that since they are believed to be a couple, there is a possibility that they would still be together, but Gallup police does not have enough information to confirm it.

“Them being in a relationship wouldn’t seem odd, but the extended time with no contact [with family] is a reason for suspicion,” Padavich said.

Whatever their reason may be for not returning, Padavich said that their families have said they just want to make sure Martinez and White are okay.

 

MARVIN JOHNSON

Marvin Johnson, born in 1958, had not been seen in the Gallup area since Jan. 1, 2016, and was not reported missing by his wife to Gallup Police Department until Sept. 5, 2016.

He lived on Patton Drive, and was described by his wife as someone who would walk the streets of Gallup a lot and interact with people on the streets, Padavich said.

Johnson was last seen leaving the area of Hidden Valley Apartments at 810 Patton Dr. He was wearing blue jeans, a tan and brown jacket, and white tennis shoes.

Padavich said Johnson was last seen walking west on trails near the aquatic center.

Like the missing couple, Padavich said law enforcement has heard no word about Johnson despite flagging his birth certificate and social security number.

No other information has been given by his family, except for the fact that they did not find it unusual for someone to not return for extended periods of time, if they walked the streets like Johnson did, according to Padavich.

“But then a longer time passed when he should have been home, but he didn’t [come back],” Padavich said.

Johnson’s family lives in the Yah-ta-hey area, and when neither they nor his wife had heard from him in an extended span of time, they reported him missing to Gallup police.

Padavich said that Gallup police have checked the hill areas near where Johnson was reportedly last seen, but they have not found any trace of him.

 

DAVID LINCOLN

The last case Padavich spoke about is a tricky one because there is limited information on the person, he said.

David Lincoln, born in 1954, was last seen in Gallup on Jan. 1, 2015. He was reported missing by a relative on Oct.  3, 2017.

After his half-sister had no contact from Lincoln for some time, she checked with local hospitals, jails, and detox to see if he had been admitted, but was told no, Padavich said.

When detectives reached out to her recently, Padavich said that they were told she had still not been in contact with him. Gallup police also confirmed Lincoln was still missing in the National Crime Information Center database.

“We wanted to confirm he was still missing before reaching out to the public,” Padavich said. “Sometimes found people don’t report in to the police when they come back.”

If you have any information about any of these cases, contact Metro Dispatch at (505) 722-2231.

By Cody Begaye
Sun Correspondent