A Mountain Town's Code of Silence: The Murders of Earl and Clarissa Gonzales

High in the mountains of northern New Mexico, overlooking the village of Questa, a father and his young daughter lived in the dream home he built with his own hands. Friends and neighbors knew him as the kind of man who always offered help and kept his door open to anyone in need. But that open door would one day invite in evil. In early September 1999, both he and his 9-year-old daughter were found murdered inside their home. Now, twenty-six years later, this brutal crime remains unsolved and is just one of several homicides haunting this small, tight-knit community. Investigators have long said that the biggest barrier in cases like these is that community members may know more than they are willing to share, held back by fear of retaliation. My hope in telling this story is that it might reignite the case in the mind of the right person, someone who can finally come forward with the information needed to bring justice for this father and daughter.TIPS: at (505) 827-9066 or email Coldcase.homicideunit@state.nm.us.Case suggestions: simplertimecrimepod@gmail.comIG: @simplertimecrimepodYoutube: https://youtube.com/@simplertimecrimepod?si=OlCWQ2Ky8qFaof02TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@simplertimecrimep?_t=8s31x9iCrNv&_r=1Music By Universfield: https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-dramatic-atmosphere-with-piano-and-violin-143149/Sources:https://youthcorps.org/about-rmyc/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-taos-news-beloved-in-community-12/181036761/https://landofentrapment.blog/the-quiet-of-questa-allowing-murders-to-go-unsolved/By EFreiboth - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45348472https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-taos-news-the-note-on-the-door/181036464/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-taos-news-beloved-in-community-12/181036761/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-taos-news-little-light-is-gone/181037257/https://www.newspapers.com/article/albuquerque-journal-first-article-on-ear/181037800/https://www.newspapers.com/article/albuquerque-journal-no-motives/181037839/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-santa-fe-new-mexican-more-info-on-co/181038078/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-santa-fe-new-mexican-more-about-it-b/181038153/https://www.newspapers.com/article/albuquerque-journal-page-two-of-94-arti/181038226/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-santa-fe-new-mexican-new-leads-uncov/181038450/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-taos-news-crimes-not-being-solved-in/181038754/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-taos-news-crime-stoppers-to-offer-re/181039904/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-taos-news-truck-discovery-teens-arre/181040183/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-taos-news-second-arrest-made-in-truc/181040233/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-taos-news-anti-violence-week-week-pr/181040558/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-taos-news-anti-violence-week-week-pr/181040558/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-taos-news-letter-to-the-editor-deman/181040695/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-taos-news-letter-to-the-editor-deman/181040695/https://www.newspapers.com/article/albuquerque-journal-four-unsovled-slayin/181041011/https://www.newspapers.com/article/albuquerque-journal-four-unsovled-slayin/181041011/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-taos-news-political-shifts/181042515/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-taos-news-one-year-later-community/181042935/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-taos-news-district-attorney-plea/181042982/