FBI links pair to deadly Salt Fire near Ruidoso, New Mexico, documents reveal

FBI agents have linked a man and a woman to the deadly Salt Fire near Ruidoso, New Mexico, from a vehicle seen fleeing at least five other fires and shoe prints left at the scene, court documents state.

A search warrant application filed by an FBI New Mexico agent states a man and woman are suspects in "a series of Mescalero Apache Reservation fires in Mescalero, New Mexico," including the Salt Fire.

The El Paso Times is not naming the suspects in the warrant since court records show they have not been charged with a crime.

The application was filed July 11, asking for a search warrant to obtain a pair of Vans shoes belonging to the female suspect. The warrant was executed July 15.

An agent wrote in the warrant that there were 16 wildfires in the Mescalero Apache Reservation between May 3 and June 18, believed to have been caused by humans. The man and woman named in the warrant have been linked to at least six of the fires, the warrant states.

More: Actor Matthew McConaughey brings attention to Ruidoso by sharing donation link

The man and woman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Facebook on the FBI’s investigation. No attorneys for the suspects are listed in federal court records.

The man’s Facebook page has several posts on the wildfire and the city of Ruidoso’s recovery efforts. Some of the posts include images with “#MescaleroStrong” and “#RuidosoStrong.” He also posted about how to donate to the firefighters battling the wildfires. Source New Mexico reported the man posted on Facebook last month denying any involvement in the fires.

It also includes photos of the man wearing a bright yellow jacket and helmet, typically worn by wildfire or wildland firefighters.

The South Fork Fire, which started June 17, was determined to have been caused by lightning. The South Folk was the largest fire in the area. The Salt Fire, which also started June 17, was "the most destructive of these human-caused fires," the warrant states.

The Salt Fire and South Fork Fire destroyed more than 25,000 acres. It took firefighters weeks to contain both fires.

Witnesses report same Jeep near several fires, investigators find shoeprints

The first incident involving the man and woman was at a May 3 wildfire near the Pena housing area on the Mescalero Apache Reservation, where witnesses told a Mescalero Conservation officer that a dark-colored Jeep was seen driving away at high speed from the area where smoke was reported, the warrant states.

The witnesses stated a woman was driving the Jeep with a man with a beard in the passenger seat.

The officer was notified that the man reported the fire to emergency officials. The officer then interviewed the man. He claimed he saw smoke in the area, reported it and went to put the fire out. The man claimed he was a "wildland firefighter" and attempted to "tamp the fire with a branch, " the warrant states. He also said he put on his fire boots while at the scene.

He told the officer he and his girlfriend, the woman named in the warrant, responded to the fire in a dark-colored Jeep. New Mexico Motor Vehicle Department records show a 2016 green Jeep Cherokee was registered to the woman, the warrant states.

"Prior to being asked, (man) stated that he did not start the fire," the warrant states.

On May 7, the same Mescalero Conservation officer responded to a fire at the Whitetail Summit. On the way to the fire, the officer saw a dark-colored Jeep driving at a high speed away from the direction of the fire, the warrant states.

The officer found about "1/10th of an acre fire was smoldering with no active flames just off the roadway," the warrant states. As the officer left the scene, he saw the same dark-colored Jeep heading back to the area of the fire. The officer attempted to stop the Jeep, but he was unable to find it again.

Investigators took photos of the scene and found a "footwear impression of what appears to be a Vans brand shoe in the dirt near the area of the fire," the warrant states.

The agent wrote in the warrant he believed the shoeprint was from the woman.

On May 20, the same Mescalero Conservation officer responded to a report of a fire near Salt Well. The officer interviewed the owners of a home in the area. The homeowners told the officer they saw a Jeep leaving the area before law enforcement arrived. The homeowners said they saw a man wearing dark clothing get out of the Jeep to open a gate leading to the fire, the warrant states.

More: South Fork Fire near Ruidoso caused by lightning, Salt Fire remains under investigation

Another fire was reported June 16 in the Carrizo Trails area. No information on the suspects is included for this fire in the warrant. The next day, about .3 miles from the June 16 fire, firefighters responded to the Carrizo Fire. Investigators found "what appears to be a Vans shoe impression was located in the dirt road on the scene, with what appears to be the same tread pattern as the shoe print observed at the May 7th fire," the warrant states.

The shoeprints were found on top of tire tracks left by fire vehicles responding to the June 16 fire. The agent alleges in the warrant that "this suggests the individual walked through the scene after the June 16 fire had been extinguished, sometime in the evening or early morning hours between June 16th and 17th. I believe this shoeprint to likely be from the same shoe."

Later that same day, fire crews responded to the Penn Scott Fire. The same Mescalero Conservation officer found "tire tracks consistent with the tires that are on (the woman's) Jeep Cherokee," the warrant states.

Hours later, firefighters responded to a third fire — the Salt Fire.

Suspects questioned by investigators

About an hour after the Salt Fire started, Mescalero Conservation officers conducted a traffic stop of the dark green Jeep Grand Cherokee, the warrant states. The Jeep with the woman and the man inside was pulled over less than a mile from where the Salt Fire started.

"(The man's) response to this fire differed from his response to the May 3 Fire, where he called first responders and attempted to personally fight the fire," the FBI agent wrote in the warrant. "At the time of the June 17 traffic stop, several 911 calls about this fire had already been received by Mescalero Law Enforcement Dispatch. (The man) never reported this fire or attempted to fight the fire even though he stated it was visible from his house."

During the traffic stop, officers took photos of the soles on the woman's shoes and the Jeep's tire tread. The woman was wearing Vans shoes, which matched the pattern found on the shoeprints found at the scenes of the May 7 fire and the June 17 Salt Fire, the warrant states.

The FBI agent "collected her shoe print utilizing a impression foam system, providing an even clearer match to the impression located at the two fires," the agent wrote in the warrant. Investigators also found similarities between the Jeep's tire tread compared to those found at the scene of the fires.

More: See South Fork Fire and Salt Fire images near Ruidoso

The woman was interviewed by investigators about the fires. She told the officers, it was "unusual for (the man) to keep his fire boots inside of the vehicle," the warrant states.

The man was then interviewed June 25 by investigators about his fire boots in the vehicle used during the May 3 fire. The man said he keeps his boots in the vehicle this time of year in case he gets a call to respond to a fire, the warrant states.

Investigators searched the Jeep the same day and did not find the fire boots. The man and woman gave consent to officers to search their phones. The woman also gave verbal consent to turning over the shoes. The warrant was later executed and the shoes were seized, court records show.

The couple have not been arrested or charged with a crime in connection with the fires as of Monday, July 22, federal court records and New Mexico jail logs show.

Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter @AMartinezEPT.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: FBI links pair to deadly Salt Fire near Ruidoso, New Mexico, documents reveal