Body found inside truck

By Leslie Wood
Staff Writer

GALLUP — Gallup police are investigating the death of a woman who was found lifeless on the floor of a truck on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, her acquaintance, 35-year-old Priscilla Antonio of Yah-ta-hey, was booked into the McKinley County Adult Detention Center on a charge of voluntary manslaughter in connection with her death. Officer Andrew Antone found the woman when responding to a report of domestic violence in the Shop N Save on Marguerite Street at about 7:30 p.m. The woman's acquaintances Charlton Draper and Antonio were found arguing in the lot while the woman lay dead in the back seat of Draper's Dodge four-door pickup. Police are trying to locate the woman's next of kin and will release her name once they are located.

Draper told police he picked the two women up as hitchhikers on Wednesday and the trio drove around Gallup trying to purchase alcohol, but were refused by most alcohol vendors because of their level of intoxication. However, the group did later purchase alcohol from the Shop 'N Save before they drove to a remote road off County Road 1 to drink the beverages.

Erin Toadlena-Pablo, a spokeswoman for the Gallup Police Department, said Antonio and the woman began to argue about whether to purchase additional alcohol. A fist fight ensued between the pair in the back seat of the vehicle as Draper drove the group back to Gallup.

During the altercation, Antonio said the woman "suddenly passed out" and she decided not to awaken her. When they arrived at the grocery store, Draper and Antonio began to argue and police were called to the scene. The woman was later pronounced dead by a medical examiner. Toadlena-Pablo said the woman will be transported to Albuquerque for an autopsy to determine the official cause of death.