Burned body ID'ed as mother of four

BERNALILLO, N.M. (KRQE) - The charred remains found in a burned-out car near Placitas a week ago have been identified as a young Albuquerque mother although it is not yet clear how she died.

On Friday investigators with the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office said dental records were needed to identify the body as Olivia Lovato, 25, a health care worker and mother of four.

She was discovered after firefighters responded to a burning car around 5 a.m. on Saturday, June 9, on State Road 165 above Placitas near Sandia Man Cave .

Lovato had recently purchased the green 2005 Chevrolet Malibu from a friend. The license plate of the car was next to the burned vehicle.

Investigators are still trying to piece together what led up to her death and exactly how she died. For now they are not calling the case a homicide.

“We don’t have any evidence to indicate it was a homicide at this time, but we’re not closing the door until we determine otherwise,” Detective Robert Baron said.

Lovato moved to Albuquerque about a year ago and was looking for work as a home health care employee. Detectives said she was last seen at 8 p.m. on the night before her body was discovered.

She was in the process of moving into another home with her mother and told family members she was going to grab a bite to eat. A passerby reported the fire on the unpaved mountain road that leads from Placitas to Sandia Crest.

While they’re waiting on an autopsy report, Sandoval County detectives are asking anyone who might have seen or spoken to Lovato in the hours prior to her death to contact them.