State police officer died of natural causes

SANTA ROSA — Off-duty New Mexico State Police officer Omar Carrasco, 24, died of natural causes, State Police announced last week.

“No foul play was suspected,” State Police Officer Dusty Francisco said on July 27.

Carrasco was found dead in his Santa Rosa apartment off Blue Hole Road on July 18.

A native of El Paso, Texas, Carrasco had moved to Santa Rosa, where he had been assigned after completing New Mexico State Police 99th Recruit School and being assigned to the Uniform Bureau here.

He had been with state police for about a month and was scheduled to go on duty at 4 p.m. when he failed to show up for his shift.

State Police officers went “to conduct a welfare check” and found him dead inside his home with no “obvious signs of foul play,” state police reported.

County Emergency Manager Ben Rael, who is qualified through the Office of the Medical Investigator, pronounced Carrasco dead. He referred all questions to the OMI, which determined his cause of death within the week.

Chavez Funeral Home took the body to Albuquerque for an autopsy, escorted by numerous state police patrol vehicles as a show of respect.