New Mexico 13-Year-Old Tortured Before Beating Death: Authorities

SANTA FE, NM – A 13-year-old boy whose buried body was dug up over the weekend near Santa Fe lived a tortured life before he was killed, law enforcement officials said. Authorities believe Jeremiah Valencia was beaten to death by his mother's boyfriend and had endured cruel punishment, including being held in a dog kennel for hours on end without food.

“This was the result of prolonged abuse to this child, torture of this child,” Santa Fe District Attorney Marco Serna said at a press conference.

The boy's remains were buried in a plastic storage bin a few miles from his home. His mother, Tracy Peña, 35, her boyfriend, Thomas Ferguson, 42, and Ferguson's 19-year-old son Jordan Nuñez were arrested last week.

Ferguson is the main suspect, authorities said at a news conference on Tuesday. They believe an enraged Ferguson punched the boy in the face and stomach in November, and that he died in the home shortly thereafter, KOB-TV reported.

"The three individuals are behind bars, and that's not enough," said state police Chief Pete Kassetas. "I want to concentrate on Thomas Ferguson as the main suspect."

Ferguson has a violent criminal past that dates back two decades and includes aggravated assault, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, abandonment abuse of a child, criminal sexual penetration and kidnapping, Kassetas said.

Pena, the boy's mother, led officers to the area where Jeremiah was buried, Santa Fe County Sheriff Robert Garcia said. A medical investigator will determined exactly what killed him.

Pena and two children told authorities Ferguson was routinely violent and abusive and that they feared him. The mother told investigators she returned home from being incarcerated and found her lifeless son on a bed, wrapped in a blanket.

Garcia said the case was “terrifying.”

“Although I’ve seen a lot, this is very gut-wrenching to the point where you go home and … it’s hard to sleep at night just thinking about the abuses this poor child went through," he said.

Pena, Ferguson and Nunez all face charges including child abuse resulting in death and tampering with evidence.

A vigil is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Nambe Community Center.

A spokesman for Santa Fe Public Schools confirmed to The New Mexican that Jeremiah attended local schools from 2009 to 2016, most recently at Carlos Gilbert Elementary as a sixth-grader.

Kimberly Pietrocci, principal of Carlos Gilbert, declined to comment and referred questions to Gephart, the newspaper said.

Photo credit: Santa Fe County Adult Detention Facility