[June 10, 2011] Foster Mom's Death Detailed Tweet Jun 10, 2011 (Albuquerque Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The two 15-year-old girls charged with the murder of their foster mother had put Evelyn Miranda in a chokehold, tied her hands and feet, and smothered her with a pillow, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. The girls, Desiree Linares and Alexis Shields, were tracked to Carlsbad on Wednesday evening, where they were hiding out at a friend's house, Lincoln County Undersheriff Robert Shepperd said. According to the affidavit, one of Miranda's neighbors in the small town of San Patricio in the Hondo Valley heard strange noises about 4 a.m. Wednesday and went to check his livestock. He noticed Miranda's lights on inside her home and her silver Honda minivan missing, and went over to check things out. He knocked but got no answer, so he opened the door and went in. As he searched the house, the neighbor found Miranda's body on her bed. Her hands and feet were bound with a telephone and electrical cord, and a pillow was over her face, the warrants said. The warrants state Shields told police she placed Miranda in a chokehold while Linares allegedly tied Miranda's hands and feet. Then Shields told police she put the pillow over Miranda's face until she stopped breathing, according to the warrants. The girls then fled with the van, Miranda's laptop and her cell phone. Shepperd said Thursday it did not appear anyone else besides the two girls were involved in the killing of Miranda, 53, a well-liked figure in San Patricio, but he said the investigation is still open. He said Miranda probably died either Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. Twelfth Judicial District Attorney Diana Martwick is charging Linares and Shields with first-degree murder, kidnapping, stealing a car, larceny, tampering with evidence and conspiracy, according to court documents. The documents also show the girls are being charged as "serious youthful offenders." According to the New Mexico Children's Code, that means the girls will be tried in adult court and, if convicted, will face adult sanctions. The girls were being detained at the Chaves County Juvenile Detention Center in Roswell on Thursday afternoon. Shepperd said Miranda's minivan was found in Roswell, and police weren't sure how the girls made the 75 miles from Roswell to Carlsbad. He said police found Linares and Shields thanks to tips they received. Miranda was a treatment foster parent, who received extra training in order to help some of the most at-risk youth in the juvenile care system. Treatment foster parents are different from regular foster parents: The kids in their care are placed there for specific behavioral health issues, not necessarily as a result of abuse and neglect in their homes. According to a member of the 5th Judicial District Attorney's Office, Linares had been arrested on battery charges recently and had been put on a year's probation less than a week ago. A judge sentenced her to spend time in a treatment foster home. Shields had been staying with Miranda for about two weeks, but no more information was available about her. To see more of the Albuquerque Journal, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.abqjournal.com. Copyright (c) 2011, Albuquerque Journal, N.M. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]