A woman says there may be a breakthrough in the case of a New Mexico woman who has been missing for 23 years.

The case is another mystery involving missing or murdered Indigenous people.

Albuquerque attorney Darlene Gomez has spent more than two decades fighting for answers in such cases, and this one hits close to home for her.

She’s representing the family of a friend of hers, Melissa Montoya, who was last seen in 2001 in Dulce, New Mexico, on the Jicarilla Apache Nation.

“She was quiet. She always had a really big smile, and I always thought she was so beautiful,” Gomez said. “Smiley. Very, very sweet.”

Gomez said, days before her death, Montoya warned her family that something bad may happen to her.

“She was in fear. She was a victim of domestic violence. She had been in a violent relationship with a non-tribal member for quite a long time,” Gomez said.

Montoya was 42 at the time.

Gomez believes she’s been forgotten.

“She just remains this faceless silhouette,” she said. “She’s loved by so many people that never got closure.”

Many agencies investigated and no one figured out what happened to Montoya. Those involved included tribal police – both local and federal, local deputies, New Mexico State Police, a sheriff’s office and state police in Colorado.

“It just makes me incredibly sad because 23 years is a very, very long time,” Gomez said.

The possible breakthrough came in the form of an email earlier this month. A woman told Gomez she was looking for her loved one who went missing in California and she saw that remains were found next to a mountain road in Dulce in 2020. Through her research, she believed they could be Montoya’s.

A report said Jane Doe was a Native woman in her 30s to 60s.

Since receiving that information, Gomez has called and emailed everyone who she thinks could help. She said the Office of the Medical Examiner confirmed they are looking into the possible match.

KOB 4 reached out to many agencies and was not able to get any more information.

“Every day that passes just gets harder and harder. I’m anxious. I can’t sleep. I’m thinking, ‘What did I miss? Did I miss something in 2020?’” Gomez said.

She wants to make a difference for other victims.

“I’m looking for solutions for other families. I’m looking for answers,” she said.

National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Person Awareness Day was May 5. Gomez and many others working on those cases say the biggest problems they’re facing right now are funding, resources, communication between agencies, and communication with the families of victims.