'There's not a playbook for this': Moriarty High mourns death of three students
Feb. 6—MORIARTY — The roses and balloons were hard to miss in the library of Moriarty High School.
In February, such items would normally signal celebration, maybe even romance. On Monday, they were unmistakable signs of mourning.
The multicolored flowers and balloons surrounded a trifold board, each panel topped with the names and photos of three boys — all Moriarty High sophomores — who were found dead Sunday in the garage of an Edgewood home. They were victims of what police have said was likely carbon monoxide poisoning.
The victims have not yet been officially identified by police, who didn't release many details Monday about the investigation into the boys' deaths. But a collection of notes from students addressed to the victims' families lined the edges of the makeshift library memorial, words that illustrated the weight of Sunday's tragedy.
Principal Robert Adams said the Edgewood and Moriarty communities were in pain Monday, the type that "kind of shut down learning for the day" at Moriarty High, which gets most of its students from the two towns.
"There's not like lesson plans being taught and things like that. It's more of — you go in and you support students, and students support teachers. Teachers are devastated," Adams said.
"A lot of students didn't show up. A lot of students showed up because they want the support of their peers, and they want to talk to the teachers, and they want to talk about it," he added. "So, there's not a playbook for this, you know; it's just kinda you do the best you can and you support the kids."
Though Adams and Edgewood police Chief Roger Jimenez declined to identify the three boys Monday, tributes in the school library were addressed to "Malachi," "Chris" and "Nathan."
Jimenez said in an interview he did not know the ages of the teens, who were from different families in the Edgewood area, which sits in the far southern end of Santa Fe County.
Though police had identified the victims Monday, Jimenez said he did not want to release their names immediately because his department is "treading lightly."
"Obviously, because of the delicacy of the situation, we don't have a lot of information ... because they're juveniles, and, you know, the families [have] been dealing with a lot right now," Jimenez said.
The chief said police were notified of the three teens' deaths around 11 a.m. Sunday by people who live at the home where the incident occurred. The Albuquerque Journal reported a neighbor said the boys had been at a sleepover.
The police department issued a news release on social media Sunday evening announcing the teens' deaths, which the agency said may have been due to a propane heater in the garage that could have led to carbon monoxide poisoning. The department also emphasized the dangers of carbon monoxide and the importance of having carbon monoxide detectors in homes and workplaces in the release.
The agency's account commented on their release's Facebook thread late Monday afternoon, asking users not to use "names, photos and identifiers of the teenagers involved" in the comments out of respect for the victims' families.
Jimenez said Monday he was communicating with an investigator to determine when his agency can release more information on the incident and added foul play is not suspected.
Adams said a host of different resources and counselors were available to Moriarty students Monday, noting this is not the first time in recent history the Moriarty-Edgewood School District's crisis management team has had to provide support for the broader community on short notice.
The principal referred to a 2020 car crash that killed two brothers who both attended Moriarty High.
"That shook the community as well, so, needless to say, we're a little bit numb to this. This isn't the first time we've had to deal with a tragedy. ... Anytime a young person passes away it is just ... a tragedy and everybody wishes they could change it," Adams said.
"I did have a group of seniors come to me this morning ... one of their classmates, several years ago, was involved in the accident, and they came and said, 'We know what this is like.' "
Adams said the seniors who approached him asked to organize a "get-together" for the entire student body and added the memorial will be held inside the school gym Wednesday afternoon.
"If students want to attend, they're going to have some snacks, and they're going to play games and they're going to write positive thoughts about their classmates," Adams said. "Hopefully, after that, we can ease back into learning at some point, and more of a regular school schedule."
Torrance County senior chaplain Tracey Master said she was scheduled to teach a suicide prevention course at Moriarty High this week. In the wake of Sunday's incident, she adapted.
Master sat on a couch near the library memorial Monday, with her Airedale terrier, Brees, at her feet. The diabetic alert dog was working "double duty" Monday, Master said. Along with being there for Master in case her hypoglycemia struck, Brees also helped provide emotional support to students as they passed through the library.
Master said Brees had been petted by about 200 students Monday afternoon.
"They don't have a whole lot to say, which is OK because they just need to process everything," Master said. "But he's not going to judge them. He's just gonna let them love him. This is what he's done all day long," Master said.
Police chief Jimenez said his department does not have a timeline for when it expects to release more information, he said, adding as soon as he hears back from the state Office of the Medical Investigator on its findings, the department would "figure out where to go from there."
"It's my understanding a lot of people — family, friends, you know — [have] been visiting them, so we're just trying to respect their privacy at this time," Jimenez said.
