A friend, teacher and confidant

Vanessa Bartz remembers her sister-in-law, Sister Marguerite Bartz, as a kind, studious person who enjoyed playing with her nieces and nephews at family reunions.

"She called her nephews 'bro' because that is what she heard the kids call each other," Vanessa said in a telephone interview Tuesday from her home in Missouri.

Bartz, 64, was found dead Sunday in her convent at St. Berard Parish in Navajo, N.M.

She was slain some time between Halloween night and when she was found, according to a press release issued Monday by the Diocese of Gallup.

A colleague found her body after she failed to show up for Mass, the press release said.

The circumstances surrounding Bartz's death are under investigation by the FBI and further details have not been released, the diocese said.

Bartz's devotion to faith accompanied her throughout her travels, Vanessa said.

"Even at the family gatherings, she would take time to sit alone and talk to God," she said.

There will be a rosary for Bartz Friday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. at St. Michael Indian School Student Chapel. The funeral will be held Saturday, Nov. 7, at 10 a.m. at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Gallup. Burial will follow in the nuns' cemetery at St. Michael Indian School.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the scholarship program at St. Michael Indian School would be appreciated.

"We are investigating this as a homicide at this time," FBI spokesman Darrin Jones said Wednesday in a telephone interview.

The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque performed an autopsy.

"Preliminary results indicate Sister Marguerite Bartz sustained a substantial amount of trauma likely as a result of a violent confrontation with the attacker," Jones said.

There was no evidence of sexual assault or evidence that she was target because she was a nun or a member of the Catholic Church, he said.

"We are withholding the exact cause of death," Jones said.

Investigators have not released any suspect descriptions and there is no information if one or several individuals were involved, but the subject or subjects should be considered armed and dangerous, the diocese press release said.

Anyone who spoke to Bartz on Halloween night or anyone who has information related to the investigation is asked to contact the FBI at 505-889-1300.

Throughout Bartz's service in Navajo, she became a familiar presence within the small community. She is a former guidance counselor at St. Michael Indian School and was serving on its board of directors.

Marie Allen, a member of St. Michael Indian School Board, became friends with Bartz through their service on the board.

"She was very active and supportive of the board," Allen said.

Marie Ford, of Crystal, N.M., remembers turning to Bartz for guidance.

"She helped me a lot in my times when I would get worried, I would go to her," Ford said. "She always gave me comfort."

Ford and Allen were among many of Bartz's friends who attended a memorial service Monday evening at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church in Fort Defiance.

"My family is going to miss her and I will too," Ford said.

Pictures of Bartz were displayed at the pulpit and were accompanied by lighted candles on each side. The church was filled with community members, who wept throughout the ceremony.

"She (strove in) her life that she imitated the quality of Jesus," said the Rev. Gilbert Schneider.

Schneider mentioned Bartz's skills as a teacher and the amount of time she devoted to teaching.

"She would say, 'I'm so busy,'" he said to laughter. "I would say, 'well, you made yourself busy.'"

The Diocese of Gallup released the following background information about Bartz.

She was born in Plymouth, Wis., in 1945 and entered the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in 1966 from Beaumont, Texas. She professed her final vows in 1974.

Bartz earned a bachelor's degree from Xavier University and a master's degree in religious education from Loyola University, both in New Orleans.

Over the course of her service, she missioned in Dorchester, Mass.; Lawtell, La.; Peña Blanca, N.M.; Laguna, N.M.; and Santa Fe, N.M. Bartz came to Saint Berard Parish in 1999.

Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament is headquartered in Bensalem, Pa. It was founded in 1891 by Saint Katharine Drexel. There are 16 Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament who are ministering in the Diocese of Gallup.

A memorial of candles and homemade posters has been assembled outside the entrance to St. Berard Parish Church.

Law enforcement teams from the New Mexico State Police, the Navajo Nation Police Department and the FBI's Evidence Response Team were at the parish Monday and continued to process the crime scene.

Local residents interviewed Monday by the Times asked to remain anonymous and said they did not know who might be responsible for Bartz's death. Nearby, Navajo Elementary School was heavily vandalized on Halloween night, but it is not known if the two incidents were related.

"I have no reason to believe they were connected at this time," Jones said.

Meanwhile, authorities found the beige-colored 2005 Honda CR-V that was in Bartz's possession and was missing when her body was discovered. That vehicle was located in a remote, rural area in Arizona, Jones said.

The exact location where the SUV was found has not been released but it will undergo processing by the FBI's Evidence Response Team in Albuquerque, he said.

Navajo Nation Police confirmed that the SUV was found Monday near Fish Point, Ariz.

Sgt. Emmett Yazzie at the Chinle Police District said the 2005 Honda CR-V had been recovered but he disputed a report that occupants of the vehicle had been arrested.

Jones confirmed that no suspects were taken into custody.

According to Ernie Lee, office specialist for Tsélani-Cottonwood Chapter, a local woman came to the chapter house Monday to report a suspicious vehicle parked in a ditch with people inside. The vehicle took off when she approached it, she told Lee.

The woman phoned in a report to the Navajo Nation Police in Chinle, and after a second call the police responded, locating the vehicle on Navajo Route 251 near Fish Point.

She told Lee the driver attempted to flee, leading the police on a high-speed chase before crashing the vehicle. Two male and three female occupants were taken into police custody and a large quantity of alcohol was confiscated from the vehicle, he recounted.

According to Yazzie and Jones, no one was arrested.

The Times attempted to contact Samson Cowboy, director of the Navajo Nation's Division of Public Safety, but he was unavailable for comment Tuesday and Wednesday.

In a press release that was e-mailed Wednesday to various media outlets, including the Navajo Times, the diocese called the story about the arrests, which was posted Wednesday morning on the Times Web site, "inaccurate" and "unfounded."

"Reports of a high-speed chase and arrests made in the murder investigation of Sr. Marguerite Bartz, SBS, published by the Navajo Times are not accurate or based on fact, according to a statement released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation," the dioceses said.

Jones said the FBI did not issue any press release that addresses the Times' story. However, he did send an e-mail Wednesday that requested other media outlets to not air or reprint a photo that was posted on the Times Web site. The Times has removed the photo.

As for the report that suspects were arrested, Jones reiterated that no one has been taken into custody in connection with the case.

Navajo Times reporter Cindy Yurth contributed to this story.

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