LAS VEGAS, N.M. – A construction project in northern New Mexico came to an abrupt halt Monday after workers discovered human remains buried in what officials describe as an unmarked grave near the New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute.
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According to a spokesperson for the New Mexico General Services Department (GSD), a contractor made the unexpected discovery at the far end of the construction zone. Crews immediately stopped work in that section as state officials began an investigation and preservation process.
“A contractor uncovered remains in an unmarked grave at the far end of the construction project area,” the GSD spokesperson confirmed. “Construction work in that spot has since been halted.”
The GSD is now collaborating with multiple state agencies, including the Department of Cultural Affairs, the State Historic Preservation Office, and both a state and onsite archaeologist, to ensure the remains are handled in accordance with preservation laws and ethical standards. Officials are currently assessing whether the ongoing construction can be rerouted around the burial site or if the remains should be carefully relocated to a new, protected burial location.
State leaders emphasized that the investigation and response will be carried out with respect and sensitivity while maintaining transparency with the public. “We are working to determine whether to reroute some of the work around the gravesite or to relocate the remains to a new burial site,” the spokesperson said.
The discovery comes amid a multi-million-dollar expansion project at the Behavioral Health Institute, a facility that has been part of the Las Vegas community for more than five decades. The institute, originally built in 1972 by the Department of Corrections, was never designed to treat mental health patients but has since evolved into a central component of the state’s behavioral healthcare network.
The ongoing expansion aims to modernize infrastructure and increase patient capacity, but this development has paused progress as officials review the full implications of the discovery. Archaeologists will conduct a detailed assessment of the burial site, which could reveal whether the remains date back to the facility’s early days — or perhaps even earlier periods of local history, given the area’s long record of institutional and cultural use.
While it remains unclear how many sets of remains were found or how old they are, local residents and historians note that the land around the institute has been repurposed several times since the 19th century. The State Hospital in Las Vegas, later known as the Behavioral Health Institute, has operated on or near land historically associated with medical and correctional use, raising the possibility that the site may hold unmarked burials from earlier decades.
For now, state officials say the priority is to protect the integrity of the site and ensure respectful handling of the remains before construction resumes.
The GSD and its partners are expected to release further updates once the archaeological review is complete and a decision is made regarding the future of the expansion project.
Originally reported by KOB.
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