Police Blotter: Mexican Springs couple held in connection with gruesome murder

LOS ANGELES — A Mexican Springs, New Mexico, couple is in federal custody in Albuquerque for a murder on the Navajo Reservation.

Timothy Chischilly, 48, and Stacy Yellowhorse, 48, are both in the custody of the U.S. Marshall’s Office. According to court records, Gallup police learned on Jan. 23 that a 36-year-old Navajo woman only identified as P.D. was missing.

A week later, another woman came to the police department and told officers that Chischilly, her brother, had confessed to her that he had killed the woman they were looking for. She said Chischilly had told her and other family members that he had held the victim on the ground as his girlfriend, Yellowhorse, used a sledgehammer to kill her.

Another witness, whose initials were given as T.V., told police she was with Chischilly, Yellowhorse and the victim on Jan. 23. She said they were in Gallup that day when she got in a fight with Yellowhorse and the victim. She said she was beat up during the fight and was still on the ground when she saw Chischilly, Yellowhorse and the victim get in a big white car and leave the area. The matter was turned over to the FBI since the victim and suspects lived on the Navajo Reservation.

FBI officials said they got in contact with both Chischilly and Yellowhorse on Feb. 1. Both allegedly told the FBI that they dropped off the victim at a restaurant in Gallup and never saw her again. On the same day, FBI agents interviewed another witness who told them she heard Chischilly confess hat “we killed somebody” and heard him say the person was the girl who had been reported missing.

She also said Chischilly confessed to holding the victim down while Yellowhorse hit her with a sledgehammer, Another witness also told FBI agents that he was also in the room the day Chischilly confessed to murder. He said most of the family members left the room after hearing the confession and did not hear Chischilly go into detail on how the murder was committed.

He said after Chischilly told him that Yellowhorse killed the victim by hitting her over the head with a sledgehammer, he said the two disposed of the body by “hacking it into pieces” and then burning it.

He said Chischilly said they put the body parts “here and there.” He said Chischilly then asked him to help clean up the mess because he didn’t know “if the dogs had taken the remains.”

He said he and Chischilly then went outside and Chischilly had him look into the car. He said he saw the sledgehammer and knives Chischilly said he used to commit the murder.

He added that the inside of the vehicle looked as if someone tried to clean it up. He added that the inside of the vehicle smelled like blood, some of which was still visible.

Later that evening, Yellowhorse talked to FBI agents again. This time she allegedly said the victim drove back with them to their home in Mexican Springs, New Mexico. She said she was asleep when she woke up to the sound of the victim screaming.

She said when she looked toward the woman, she saw the victim’s hand nailed to the floor with a large construction-type nail. She added that she then saw Chiscilly on top of the woman nailing her other hand to the floor. Yellowhorse said she got scared and ran out of the house. She said she had to return to the house to get her shoes.

When she got back inside, she said she saw Chischilly using a hammer to remove the nails pinning the victim to the ground. She said the victim was still alive at the time. She said when she found her shoes, she left the house again, returning for a second time a little later.

At this point, she said she saw a large bonfire and smelled the body in the fire. One of the FBI agents said he was familiar with the house and knew there was a large fire pit about 50 yards from the residence. Yellowhorse said Chischilly kept the fire going for three days.

She told agents that the day after the murder, she helped Chischilly remove bloody furniture from the house. She said he then curate the furniture into pieces and burned them.

She added that on Feb. 2, she helped Chischilly remove from the fire pit the larger pieces of the victim’s body that did not burn. This includes the victim’s skull. She said later that day, they scattered the pieces in various areas.

After the interview, Yellowhorse reportedly took FBI agents to the area where they left the skull and FBI agents were able to recover it. FBI agents were later able to get a search warrant for Chischilly and Yellowhorse’s home. During the search, FBI agents found two holes in the floor surrounded by what appeared to be blood.

They also found evidence of blood throughout the house. They also searched a nearby dump where they found what appeared to be human remains.

Kayenta man charged in shooting death

LOS ANGELES — Joshua John Todacheene of Kayenta is facing murder charges in connection with the death of another Kayenta man on Feb. 5.

According to a news release issued by the Navajo Police Department as well as court records, the first report of a possible crime came from an off-duty policewoman who reported a possible disturbance in an open field north of the flea market in Kayenta.

When police arrived at the scene, they found a man lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to his chest surrounded by several men who were attempting to stop the bleeding. The victim has only been identified in court records as R.T. Witnesses at the scene allegedly identified Todacheene as the shooter.

They said they saw him drive away after the shooting. A witness only identified as B.T. said he told R.T. that morning that he would pay him some money if he agreed to help him out. He agreed and that afternoon Todacheene showed up and he also agreed to help them unload some bales of hay.

B.T. said he later noticed the two of them drinking. This led to bickering and finally arguing apparently about some family issues in the past. B.T. said he yelled at the two to come and help him, hoping it would stop the arguing. He said Todacheene at that point got into his car and left.

R.T. came over to him and told him Todacheene had made some threats against him, according to the police report. B.T. said he told R.T. not to worry about it; Todacheene was just talking. A little while later, B.T. and R.T. were sitting in an SUV relaxing when Todacheene allegedly drove up and parked in front of them.

B.T. said he then saw Todacheene get out of his vehicle and reach inside to pull out an assault rifle. B.T. said he then saw Todacheene shoot R.T. and then get back in his vehicle and leave. Police immediately put out a call for officers to be on the lookout for Todacheene’s vehicle.

Shortly thereafter, a police officer reported seeing Todacheene’s vehicle weaving on the highway and almost hitting an embankment. As the officer attempted to stop him, Todacheene’s car hit an embankment causing the engine to start smoking.

Todacheene got out of his vehicle and police said they could hear him speaking into his phone as they walked up to him. He reportedly was saying “I’m sorry” into the phone. He surrendered without incident.

Police found an assault rifle inside of the vehicle as well as a 40-ounce bottle of beer. Later that night, police and agents for the FBI interviewed Todacheene after he was given his Miranda rights and agreed to speak to them.

He said he had agreed to work with R.T. and B.T. and at some point he began drinking. He said that because of the drinking, he could not remember some parts of the day.

He remembered getting into an altercation at some point in the day but he couldn’t remember whom it was with. He said he remembers being put into a chokehold and injuring his hand. He remembered leaving and coming back with his father’s rifle.

He said he was upset and wasn’t himself. He said when he got back to the field he remembered R.T. walking up to him. He said he had his rifle in his hand. He said he remembered shoving RT when they came face to face.

At that point his rifle “just went off,” he allegedly told police. He said he saw R.T. fall back. His eyes were wide open. Todacheene said he got back in his vehicle and drove away planning to kill himself in the canyon. However, police pulled him over before he could do it.

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