Unsolved Mysteries Wiki
Unsolved Mysteries Wiki
Unsolved Mysteries Wiki
1,945
pages
in: New Mexico, 1982, Murder,
and 5 more

Father Reynaldo Rivera

Edit
Reynaldo Rivera

Reynaldo Rivera

Real Name: Reynaldo John Rivera
Nicknames: No known nicknames
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Date: August 5, 1982

Case[]

Details: Fifty-seven-year-old Father Reynaldo Rivera was a Catholic priest at St. Francis Cathedral in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was ordained in 1953 and appointed rector of St. Francis Cathedral in 1975. When they are ordained, Catholic priests vow to become servants of God and servants of their community. Their door is always open to those in need, but their faith can place them in jeopardy. A priest's willingness to help – no matter who, when, or where – can even threaten his own life.
Father Rivera has been murdered, and Father John Kerrigan of Ronan, Montana, has mysteriously disappeared. Authorities fear these two cases, 1,000 miles and two years apart, may be connected. It is even possible that there is a serial killer at large who is exclusively murdering Catholic priests.
On the evening of Thursday, August 5, 1982, a call for help came into the rectory of St. Francis Cathedral. Father Patrick Gerard answered. The caller identified himself as "Michael Carmello". He said that his grandfather was having a heart attack, and he needed a priest to come immediately to administer the last rites. Father Gerard told the caller that he could not leave the rectory because he was legally blind. He said that all of the other priests were taking confessions.
Father Gerard asked the caller to try again in fifteen minutes. Exactly fifteen minutes later, at 8:30pm, the telephone rang again. This time, Father Rivera took the call. The caller repeated his story. He said he was at the La Bajada rest stop on Interstate 25, twenty miles south of Santa Fe, and asked Father Rivera to meet him there. The caller said he would then drive Father Rivera to his grandfather's house near Waldo, New Mexico.
Father Rivera agreed to the plan and asked the caller how he would recognize him. The caller said he was driving a blue pickup truck. He then asked Father Rivera what he was driving; Father Rivera said he would be in a 1974 cream-colored Chevrolet Malibu. He then told the caller that he could get there in twenty minutes. At 8:45pm, after the call was completed, Father Rivera left in his car.
When Father Rivera did not return to the rectory that night, he was reported missing. Authorities began a search for him in the Waldo area. Hundreds of citizens from Santa Fe volunteered to help in the search. They searched on foot, horseback, in four-wheelers, and from the air. They combed the hills and the desert. Lieutenant Gilbert Ulibarri of the Santa Fe Police Department says that almost everyone in Santa Fe knew Father Rivera. He had an impact on many of their lives.
On Saturday, August 7, two days after the search began, Father Rivera's body was found on a deserted dirt road off Interstate 25 south of Santa Fe, about a mile east of the Waldo exit and three miles from the rest stop. He had been shot in the abdomen. His hands had been bound. A mark on his neck indicated he may have been restrained with a wire. Other evidence suggested that he had been tied up and restrained for a period of time.
After Father Rivera's body was found, the mayor of Santa Fe declared a day of mourning. At the funeral, the entire city grieved, devastated by his brutal murder. Corinne Martinez, secretary for St. Francis Cathedral, says that from Saturday until his burial, Santa Fe was awe-stricken. No matter what religion everyone was, they were all just "one" at that time. During the procession from the cathedral to the cemetery, the streets were full, and the sidewalks were lined with people who came to pay their respects.
Father Antonio Valdez of St. Francis of Assisi says that Father Rivera went out on this call as an act of charity and love. He thinks that because Father Rivera showed this love for people, the people of Santa Fe responded. When Father Rivera died, they felt sadness in their hearts because they loved him. His sister, Elizabeth Abeyta, says that everybody loved him. She is sure he is happy where he is now. But she and the rest of their family still miss him.
On the night of the murder, the man calling himself Michael Carmello told Father Rivera that he would be waiting for him at the La Bajada rest stop in a blue pickup truck. Investigators discovered that the phone at the rest stop was out of service that night, so the call had to have been made somewhere else. Lt. Ulibarri has developed a theory of what happened that night. He believes the killer or killers were probably at the rest stop, waiting for Father Rivera. When he arrived there, they singled him out and convinced him to get into their vehicle.
Lt. Ulibarri does not believe that one person could have "handled" Father Rivera because he would have given them a hard time. He believes that at least two people were involved in subduing Father Rivera because he was very strong. He also believes they controlled Father Rivera with a gun.
Lt. Ulibarri believes the killers took Father Rivera to a remote desert area, where they forced him out of their vehicle and killed him. They then drove to the dirt road near Waldo and dumped his body. Lt. Ulibarri says the killers could have hidden Father Rivera anywhere in the Waldo area. He notes that there are several areas where you can hide a body and it will never be found. He believes the killers wanted Father Rivera to be found.
After the crime, the killers returned to the rest stop to remove Father Rivera's car. It was found Saturday, August 7, at a rest area along Interstate 40, just east of Grants, New Mexico, about 110 miles from Santa Fe. The doors were locked, and the gas tank was empty. The keys were missing. There was little physical evidence found inside. No bloodstains were found. There was nothing to indicate that someone had even driven the car. It had been "wiped clean".
The Santa Fe police had few clues, and after a nationwide check, they found no suspects named "“Michael Carmello". Regarding motive, Lt. Ulibarri believes that Father Rivera was not the target. He believes a Catholic priest was the target, for whatever reason. Robbery was not a motive because there was nothing taken from Father Rivera other than his last rites kit (which included a prayer book, a vial of holy oil, a communion wafer, a candle, and a crucifix). Lt. Ulibarri wonders if the kit was taken as a souvenir. He says the killer may have taken it so that he could "relive" the experience; every time he looks at it, he remembers killing a priest.
Two years later, on Friday, July 20, 1984, another priest mysteriously disappeared. Fifty-eight-year-old Father John Kerrigan was new to the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Ronan, Montana. He had only been there two days before he, too, vanished. For the previous two years, he had served at a parish in Plains, Montana.
On the night he disappeared, Father Kerrigan went for a walk around Ronan. At 11pm, he stopped at Deneault's Bakery, across the street from the church, to chat with his new parishioners. He told them he was planning to attend a funeral and a wedding in Plains the next day. After a few minutes, he left, saying he was going to return to the rectory and go to bed.
The next day, Saturday, July 21, Father Kerrigan did not show up for his first mass at the church. That morning, at a turnout along Highway 35 next to the eastern shore of Flathead Lake, about five miles north of Ronan, a local fruit peddler was setting up her fruit stand when she discovered a pile of folded, bloody clothes. The items included a shirt, shoes, and a windbreaker jacket. She immediately called the police.
After Father Kerrigan was reported missing that Monday, the clothes were identified as his. The blood matched his blood type. Hairs found on the clothes matched his hair. A $100 bill was in the shirt pocket. The shirt had no marks from a bullet, knife, or other weapon. Interestingly, the clothes found were not the ones he was wearing when he visited the bakery.
The police conducted a search of the area around the fruit stand and on the hill behind it. A bloody coat hanger was found close to the clothing. Detective Sergeant Bruce Phillips of the Lake County Sheriff's Office concluded that the hanger was used either to strangle, gag, or tie up Father Kerrigan. The police were unable to determine what exactly it was used for, but they are certain it is connected to the case. Sgt. Phillips says it was not just lying there; it had been deformed and used for some purpose.
A week later, on Sunday, July 29, Father Kerrigan’s car, a white-and-brown 1976 Chevrolet Impala, was found abandoned in a pasture alongside Skyline Drive in Polson, Montana, five miles south of the area where his clothes had been discovered. It had been wiped clean of fingerprints. Sgt. Phillips says they know that the car sat there for about a week before it was discovered.
A thorough search of the area was conducted. The car keys were found lying in the tall grass about thirty yards away. Blood was found on the front passenger seat, door panel, and floorboard. Several personal effects were found inside as well. In the trunk, they found a shovel and a pillow with blood on them. Blood was also splattered inside the trunk. Because there was rust on the shovel blade, police do not believe it was used to bury Father Kerrigan’s body.
The police were surprised to find $1,200 in Father Kerrigan's wallet, which was also in the trunk in a box labeled "wallets". According to Sgt. Phillips, the money was not hidden in the wallet. None of it was disturbed, so the police do not believe robbery was a motive. They have theorized that he may have been called to administer last rites since his sacramental holy oils were missing.
When Lt. Ulibarri learned of Father Kerrigan's disappearance, he flew to Ronan to investigate the similarities between the two cases. He says that in both cases, the killer wanted people to know that he killed a priest by leaving evidence behind. He believes that whoever killed Father Rivera was also involved in Father Kerrigan's disappearance.
There are other similarities between the two cases. Both victims were about the same age and drove brown Chevrolets. Both were last seen at night and disappeared in late July or early August. Both cars had been wiped down and were driven away from the crime scene. Both of their sacramental holy oils, used for last rites, are missing.
Father Rivera’s body and Father Kerrigan’s clothes were found in remote areas near roads outside of town. A deformed metal coat hanger was found near Father Kerrigan's clothes, and there is evidence a coat hanger was used in Father Rivera's murder. In both cases, robbery was not a motive. Perhaps most significantly, both priests belonged to the select order of Franciscans. It was also discovered that Father Kerrigan had been at a monastery in Jemez Springs, New Mexico, for three months in the spring of 1983 for "further education".
One major difference was that Father Kerrigan had just recently arrived in Ronan, while Father Rivera had been at St. Francis Cathedral in Santa Fe for over fifteen years. The other major difference was that Father Kerrigan’s body was never found. Although Lt. Ulibarri believes the cases are connected, other investigators disagree.
Lt. Ulibarri hopes that other law enforcement agencies with similar cases of murdered Catholic priests will contact him. He believes there is a possibility that there is a serial killer targeting Catholic priests.
Following Father Rivera’s murder, a cross was placed at the spot where his body was found. Since then, it has been stolen and replaced several times. It is not known if the thefts of the crosses are related to his murder.
Suspects: The man who talked to Father Rivera on the phone on the night of the murder identified himself as "Michael Carmello". He said he was driving a blue pickup truck. A man with this name was located in Arizona. He passed a polygraph test and was later ruled out. The police have not found any other suspects with this name and believe it was an alias.
The police believe, based on the fact that Father Rivera was a "strong" individual, that at least two people were involved. The weapon used in the murder was of .357 caliber or more and was a high-powered weapon, either a Magnum pistol, handgun, or rifle. Unidentified fingerprints, a palm print, and hair samples were found in Father Rivera's car; they are believed to have belonged to the killer(s).
The motive was not believed to be robbery, as only Father Rivera's last rites kit was taken (some sources dispute this, stating that other items were taken). The police suspect that the kit was taken as a "souvenir" so that the killer could relive the crime. The police suspect that the killer wanted to kill any priest, not just Father Rivera.
The FBI created a psychological profile of the killer. According to the profile, the killer's motive was revenge. The profile claims that the killer wanted to "get back" at the Catholic Church and believed that it betrayed him in some way. The police believe that the killer is familiar with the Catholic Church.
Lt. Ulibarri believes that Father Rivera'’s and Father Kerrigan’s cases are connected. He believes the killer was "a drifter with a psychological problem with priests". There are several similarities between the two cases. However, some investigators do not believe they are connected.
Father Rivera's brother believes that the murder was committed by a Satanic cult. He claims that during the search, he found a cave that was used for devil worship. However, there is no other evidence to support this theory. According to Lt. Ulibarri, Satanism was ruled out because no strange markings related to the occult were found on Father Rivera's body.
The police followed up on several leads in their initial investigation. One initial suspect was a stranger who was seen in Grants, New Mexico, shortly after the murder. He was believed to have stolen a car from a tavern owner in Grants that day. However, police ruled him out after it was discovered he was in jail on the night of the murder.
Another initial suspect was a man who had been paroled just three days before the murder. He had served time for burglary, robbery, and drug-related offenses. On the day of his release, he was supposed to report to a drug rehabilitation program, but he did not show up. He was seen in Santa Fe on the day before the murder. However, he was ruled out after his fingerprints were found not to match those in Father Rivera's car. Also, two witnesses confirmed that he was with them on the night of the murder.
Two more suspects were Marcus Harris and his teenage accomplice; they reportedly killed Reverend Donald Hamilton, a priest from Arizona, in 1982. However, they were also cleared of any involvement in Father Rivera's murder. James Reyos, the alleged killer of Father Patrick Ryan, was investigated as well. Father Ryan was killed in a motel room in Odessa, Texas, in 1981. Reyos was cleared when it was discovered that he was working in Memphis, Tennessee, at the time of Father Rivera's murder.
Another suspect was a transient from Beverly Hills, California. He allegedly robbed a church and threatened a clergyman in Utah. However, he was ruled out after it was discovered that he was not in New Mexico at the time of the murder.
Police later received a tip from a man in Sacramento, California, who said another man had bragged about killing a priest. That man was identified and questioned; it was discovered that he was in a mental hospital at the time of the murder. Interestingly, police learned that the tipster was from Santa Fe and had a criminal record. However, police could find no evidence to link him to the murder.
Police have one suspect that they have been unable to rule out. A tipster claimed that George Semkus, a former Santa Fe resident, was involved in Father Rivera's murder. Semkus was known to be in the area at the time. He robbed Fenn Galleries in Santa Fe at gunpoint, stealing a Rolex watch. He was also suspected of being involved in several other burglaries and robberies in the area.
After Semkus was arrested in November 1982, he was sent to a mental hospital in Las Vegas for observation. While there, he and another man escaped and stole a car. He eventually made his way to New York, where he was arrested in August 1983. The car he was driving contained items taken from a burglary. A pistol was found in the glove compartment. He was later convicted of being in possession of stolen property and having a concealed weapon.
While in prison in New York, Semkus was interviewed and polygraphed by Santa Fe investigators. The results of the polygraph were never released. According to the police, he fits the FBI’s psychological profile of the killer.
According to another Franciscan priest, Semkus had previously stolen a La Conquistadora statue from Father Rivera's cathedral. When he was arrested, he hoped that the Franciscans would ask for clemency for him. However, they did not. Afterward, he allegedly told a fellow prisoner that he would "settle things” one day with the priests from the cathedral. Semkus reportedly flew into Santa Fe from New York on the day of the murder. However, police do not have enough evidence to connect him to the crime.
Extra Notes:

  • This case first on the November 23, 1988 episode.
  • It was also profiled on The Trail Went Cold podcast and On the Case with Paula Zahn.
  • It is not to be confused with Rey Rivera.
  • Some sources state: Father Rivera vanished on August 7; the call came in at 8:35pm; the caller’s father was dying; Father Rivera's car was a Chevrolet Chevelle; his body was found in a muddy field; his glasses, wallet, and key chain were also missing; and his pants pockets were turned inside out.
  • Father Rivera is sometimes referred to as a Reverend.

Results: Unsolved - In March 2003, Semkus was released on parole. He has never been charged in this case. In 2009, the Archdiocese of Santa Fe dedicated a new wing at St. Francis Cathedral to Father Rivera's memory.
In April 2015, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena published a list of employees who had been suspected or implicated in the sexual abuse of children; Father Kerrigan was included on the list. It has been theorized that he was killed by one of his former abuse victims or someone related to one of the victims. However, this theory has not been confirmed. Lt. Ulibarri no longer believes that Father Kerrigan and Father Rivera's cases are connected.
There has been speculation that Father Rivera's murder was connected to the murder of Father Ryan. Although James Reyos was convicted of his murder, many of those close to the case now believe he is innocent. There is even speculation that an unknown man who committed suicide in a Boise, Idaho, church in 1982, "William L. Toomey", may be responsible for Father Ryan and Father Rivera's murders. However, this theory has not been confirmed either.
The New Mexico State Police Cold Case Unit is currently investigating Father Rivera's case and following up on leads. In 2021, they collected DNA and fingerprints from an inmate in Texas to compare with evidence from the crime scene. However, the inmate was not a match.
Sadly, Father Rivera's mother and most of his siblings have since passed away without seeing his case solved.
Links:

Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.