Pass Jimmie's Law: Force NM Police to Preserve Evidence & End Cold Case Destruction
The Issue
In 1977, my aunt, Jimmie Retha Brown, went missing from El Paso, Texas, and was tragically found murdered in Las Cruces, New Mexico. For nearly fifty years, our family has held onto the hope that modern forensic science and DNA testing would finally bring us answers and bring her killer to justice.
Instead, we discovered a devastating truth: the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Department permanently destroyed all physical and biological crime scene evidence in her case. A 1992 internal memo titled "Evidence Destruction" revealed that her files were carelessly mixed up with another case and thrown away. Because of a bureaucratic administrative error, our path to justice was permanently erased.
When law enforcement destroys evidence in an unsolved murder, they aren't just making a mistake—they are protecting killers and silencing victims. This is a systemic failure that impacts families across the Texas-New Mexico borderplex and beyond.
We are demanding that the New Mexico State Legislature introduce and pass Jimmie’s Law to ensure no other family suffers this heartbreak.
Jimmie’s Law will mandate:
Indefinite Retention: The mandatory, permanent preservation of all evidence in unsolved homicides and missing persons cases.
Criminal Penalties: Strict criminal charges for any law enforcement personnel or agency official who intentionally or negligently destroys cold case evidence.
Independent Oversight: Mandatory, regular third-party audits of county and municipal evidence storage facilities across New Mexico.
Please sign this petition to demand accountability, protect crime victims, and help us pass Jimmie's Law. State lines shouldn't limit justice.
"Jimmie Retha Brown wasn't just a case number or a headline; she was my 16-year-old aunt whose life was stolen before it truly began. She was full of life, deeply loved by her family, and her memory has been kept alive by our family for decades. For nearly 50 years, we held onto the quiet hope that modern science would eventually find her killer and bring her home the justice she deserved. Discovering that her entire file and physical evidence were casually thrown away in a trash bin due to a clerical mistake felt like losing her all over any time. It broke our hearts, but it also lit a fire under us to make sure no other family has to face this secondary trauma."
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The Issue
In 1977, my aunt, Jimmie Retha Brown, went missing from El Paso, Texas, and was tragically found murdered in Las Cruces, New Mexico. For nearly fifty years, our family has held onto the hope that modern forensic science and DNA testing would finally bring us answers and bring her killer to justice.
Instead, we discovered a devastating truth: the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Department permanently destroyed all physical and biological crime scene evidence in her case. A 1992 internal memo titled "Evidence Destruction" revealed that her files were carelessly mixed up with another case and thrown away. Because of a bureaucratic administrative error, our path to justice was permanently erased.
When law enforcement destroys evidence in an unsolved murder, they aren't just making a mistake—they are protecting killers and silencing victims. This is a systemic failure that impacts families across the Texas-New Mexico borderplex and beyond.
We are demanding that the New Mexico State Legislature introduce and pass Jimmie’s Law to ensure no other family suffers this heartbreak.
Jimmie’s Law will mandate:
Indefinite Retention: The mandatory, permanent preservation of all evidence in unsolved homicides and missing persons cases.
Criminal Penalties: Strict criminal charges for any law enforcement personnel or agency official who intentionally or negligently destroys cold case evidence.
Independent Oversight: Mandatory, regular third-party audits of county and municipal evidence storage facilities across New Mexico.
Please sign this petition to demand accountability, protect crime victims, and help us pass Jimmie's Law. State lines shouldn't limit justice.
"Jimmie Retha Brown wasn't just a case number or a headline; she was my 16-year-old aunt whose life was stolen before it truly began. She was full of life, deeply loved by her family, and her memory has been kept alive by our family for decades. For nearly 50 years, we held onto the quiet hope that modern science would eventually find her killer and bring her home the justice she deserved. Discovering that her entire file and physical evidence were casually thrown away in a trash bin due to a clerical mistake felt like losing her all over any time. It broke our hearts, but it also lit a fire under us to make sure no other family has to face this secondary trauma."
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Petition created on July 6, 2026