Court documents outline what led to a New Mexico woman’s murder arrest in Wichita Falls

CLOUDCROFT, New Mexico (KFDX/KJTL) — A criminal complaint out of New Mexico against a woman who was arrested in Wichita Falls details the investigation that led to her arrest and where investigators found her husband’s body.

Deana Rene Thetford, of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, was booked into the Wichita County Jail on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, and charged with murder and tampering with evidence.

The criminal complaint detailed how law enforcement believes Deana willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation killed her husband, Craig Thetford, and then hid his body.

According to the court documents, multiple family members called the Otero County Sheriff’s Office around May 12 to request welfare checks on Craig after not speaking with him since January 2025.

When deputies made contact with Deana, she allegedly made statements about them going through a divorce and that Craig was in Mexico fishing with his new girlfriend. It was later found that Craig had not crossed the border since 2023.

Deana showed deputies two large gun safes in the “pool room” and said they had $1 to $1.5 million in cash, but she believed Craig had taken the money, and she did not have the combinations for them.

Later, Deana said Craig had broken his phone and gotten a new one, but she didn’t know the number, and that he was in Texas to care for his mother. Craig’s sister told investigators that he had not been in Texas.

According to the criminal complaint, Deana confided in her daughter around May 13, 2025, that she and Craig had gotten in a fight where Craig pushed her down the stairs. Deana said she was blinded by rage and shot Craig multiple times, and he fell down the stairs into the “pool room,” where Deana left him for a couple of days until she was able to drag him out of the house and into the carport.

A search warrant was issued on June 17 for their property in Cloudcroft. At that time, Craig’s body was found wrapped in black plastic, blankets and rugs while covered in piles of cardboard, moth balls, and other items.

During the execution of the search warrant, it was also found that Craig’s clothing and the camera security system hardware had been removed from the residence. When a locksmith opened the safes, more than $80,000 was found along with multiple firearms and ammunition.

It was later learned that Deana had purchased property in Seymour, Texas, with a cash offer. She had also given her truck to her son and bought a Ford Mustang.

Investigators said they received multiple other tips of Deana admitting to shooting Craig.

As of the publication of this story, Deana was being held in the Wichita County Jail without bond.