A Tourist Reported a Strange Encounter... #truecrimestories #truecrimeshorts #crimejunkies #podcast | Forensic Files

There was this other tip that came in and I was shocked at how it was handled. So, a couple of days
>> [music] >> after Melissa disappeared, this tourist was near a church in Taos, New Mexico
when she noticed a man on horseback who appeared to be praying. It was an interesting sight, so she decided to
take a photo with him. But then she noticed that he seemed to be crying and apparently was
intoxicated. So, she approached him and asked if he was okay and he told her that they had been searching for his
missing cousin up in the mountains [music] and that he'd found her body decapitated. But later that night, she
saw a missing person poster for Melissa and I guess she put two and two together, so she reported the encounter
to police and gave them a copy of the photo that she had taken. Investigators showed them to Melissa's
family and they weren't related to the man, but they did know him. Her brother recognized the guy as [music]
64-year-old Rick Valerio, known as Wild. He works with horses near a local golf course.
And guess what he drives? A blue Dodge truck. Egypt Mata went to speak with Rick on Monday, July 21st.
>> When did they know about this tip? So, that part's unclear. The family seems to
think that it was right away, but Mata insinuates that it was later, which is why they're not talking to him for like
a month. But I don't want to get hung up on the police response time because I think the proper thing to get hung up on
is the interview itself because according to police, once they talked to Rick, he admitted that he helped with
search efforts, but he denied everything else. So, they just dismissed the lead.
They think Rick concocted the story for attention. So, the Mondragons actually got the body
cam footage of this interview that makes them like rule him out and be prepared to scream.

Days after Melissa Casias disappeared, a tourist in Taos, New Mexico reported a strange encounter with a man on horseback who appeared distressed and claimed he had found his cousin’s body in the mountains.

After seeing a missing person poster for Melissa, the witness reported the interaction and provided a photo to investigators.

The man was later identified and interviewed. He admitted to participating in search efforts but denied the rest of the claims.

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Brief Summary

A tourist's encounter with Rick Valerio connects to Melissa's disappearance, raising questions about police investigation and eyewitness accounts.

Key points

The Disturbing Encounter. A tourist encounters a man on horseback who reveals a shocking truth about a missing person.
Rick Valerio's Alibi. Rick Valerio, a local known for working with horses, becomes a person of interest.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I was shocked at how it was handled.

WatchMay 16, 2026

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