Police Investigation Continues as Troy Buhrman Found Deceased in Laborcita Canyon

The search for the missing 38-year-old Ruidoso man, Troy Buhrman, who disappeared from the La Luz Canyon area  hiking in late December has been located.  Sadly he has been located leading the family to a tragic end in the quest to find him. 

Authorities had called off searching for Troy Buhrman the end of January. Buhrman was last seen driving his 1995 black Dodge pickup truck to La Luz Canyon on Dec. 27 and hadn't been seen since, police said, although a La Luz resident found Buhrman’s truck on a dirt road in front of the resident’s property.

The Otero County Sheriff’s Office notified New Mexico State Police that Buhrman was missing on Dec. 29, 2024 and requested assistance from the state police search and rescue team. Search and rescure teams and countless private citizens searched in multiple areas especially around Bridal Veil Falls believing him to be in that area. 

Alamogordo Police assisted with a drone search. Otero County deputies conducted their own searches as well.

The police led search began at 11 p.m. Dec. 29, 2024 and continued until 2 a.m. the following morning, Then it started again at noon Dec. 30, 2024 and continued until 6:30 p.m. to no luck in locating Mr. Buhrman.

Mr. Buhrman was described on the Department of Public Safety’s missing persons website as having short brown hair, a mustache and goatee, and wearing eyeglasses. When last seen, he was wearing jeans, brown boots, and a black and red checkered flannel shirt over a red T-shirt. He has a spider-web tattoo on his right elbow.

Another search took place Jan. 12, 2025 after a piece of Buhrman’s jacket was found, according to Donna Garcia, who is Buhrman’s aunt by marriage.

A post on the Mesilla Valley Search and Rescue Facebook page said searchers used three teams with dogs and a drone team in the La Luz Canyon area and “covered a lot of area with no new clues found.”

Buhrman Aunt had reported that he grew up in La Luz and his grandfather would talk to him about gold in the area’s mountains. Some writing on a slip of paper found near the torn piece of jacket mentioned gold, and the familed feared he went looking for gold and got trapped in an old mine.

Sadly family and friends report that with sadness and heavy heart Troy Buhrman was found deceased in the Laborcita Canyon and he was located in an area that was not searched. Police have not released any further details as the investigation continues.

The family is working on arrangements and a memorial service and will make an announcement in the upcoming days. 

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