Note: After the story aired, APD reached out with additional information about one of the cases referenced.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The “Duke City Case Files” was started in 2021 and focused on unsolved homicide cases. The homicide unit took a break from it in 2023. 

Now, it’s back with new cases, featuring victims’ families and detectives. They’re hoping the videos spark new leads before these cases go cold. 

“I think we finally need some peace and capture whoever did this, and gosh, we need to close this chapter in our life already,” said Jessica Valdez Ramirez, Brittany’s mom. 

Albuquerque police hope the video helps do just that for Brittany Ramirez’s family. APD is featuring her unsolved death in its reboot of Duke City Case Files. 

Someone left Brittany at Presbyterian Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds in 2021. She left behind a 2-year-old daughter. 

“My daughter loved her daughter so much, and they took my daughter away from my granddaughter, and that’s something she’ll never have, a mother,” said Jessica. “So they took something really big from our family that meant so much.” 

Two and half years later, APD is taking Brittany’s case public through the video series, featuring interviews with homicide detectives and her family. 

“It just sparks conversation, you never know who watches it or who might have information,” said APD Spokesperson Rebecca Atkins. 

Duke City Case files launched in 2021 but went on pause in 2023 during some restructuring in the homicide unit. It made its comeback Tuesday after success the first time around.  

“It’s rewarding that we’re finding justice for these families, being able to find them closure. I can’t even put into words what this means,” said Atkins. 

Atkins says four of the seven cases featured are now closed, including Deandre Garcia’s, Daniel Collins, Jon Paul Carbajal’s, and Agnes Tybo’s.

Tybo was murdered in an Albuquerque motel in the 1980s. Police just recently closed her case.

“It had gone to the cold case, and we featured it technically within APD, it’s considered a closed case, and it’s with the DA’s office for potential prosecution,” Atkins said.  

APD had submitted that case for a review for possible prosecution and has since been asked for further testing to be completed before another review. APD continues to work with prosecuting partners in hopes to further the case with charges.

Atkins says along with tips from the public, the videos also help detectives see the case with new eyes.

“When we were relooking at them through this process, it was leading detectives to kind of see new information they might not have seen previously,” said Atkins. 

People can watch all of the videos on APD’s social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube. 

Atkins says a new case will be featured each month. She says the smallest tip leads to the biggest break, so don’t hesitate to reach out to them with any information.