NORTHERN NEW MEXICO
Taos County sheriff recovers body from Easter Sunday suicide at Rio Grande Gorge Bridge
Second death since landmark's sidewalks were closed to foot traffic, comes days after raised-railing designs released
Editor鈥檚 note: A previous version of this story misstated the number of suicides that have taken place at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge since NMDOT closed it to foot traffic last fall.
TAOS 鈥� A day symobolizing hope and renewal for many residents of this deeply Catholic region of northern New Mexico took a dark turn on Easter Sunday as first responders were called to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge in response to the first suicide there since December.
Taos County Sheriff Steve Miera and deputies descended into the steep canyon below the historic steel arch bridge on Monday, using a river raft to recover the body of a 19-year-old Los Alamos man who died by suicide at the bridge on Easter Sunday.
First responders received reports early Sunday afternoon that the man was en route to Taos after expressing suicidal ideations but were unable to intercept him.
鈥淗e made his way to the Gorge Bridge where bridge security noticed he had made two passes and while circling back around, they attempted to intercept him,鈥� Miera wrote in a news release issued on Monday, after the man鈥檚 remains were recovered. 鈥淚n doing so (he) stopped on the bridge leaving his vehicle and ran to the railing where bridge security witnessed him jump over the railing.鈥�
Authorities closed traffic along the bridge for roughly three hours on Sunday as first responders investigated the man鈥檚 death.
Another closure halted traffic at the steel arch bridge Monday morning during the recovery operation, which included personnel from the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, a local funeral home and the New Mexico Department of Transportation, who assisted with the closure.
Following a string of suicides at the Gorge Bridge in 2025, former NMDOT Cabinet Secretary Ricky Serna closed the bridge to foot traffic last fall, an order that remains in effect.
Electronic traffic signs placed on either side of the 60-year-old bridge warn people away from the bridge鈥檚 sidewalks, which have commonly been filled with tourists and sightseers in years past.
The same week that a Colorado woman jumped to her death at the bridge in December, marking the seventh suicide there last year, Serna committed the agency to a historic $8 million project to install higher railings and lighter-weight sidewalks at the Gorge Bridge later this year.
The department, which helped ensure road safety for the annual Good Friday pilgrimage to El Santuario de Chimay贸 two days before the 19-year-old鈥檚 death, released design plans for the new railings this month showing three options that would feature hollow structural sections, horizontal cables or mesh designs with vertical railings.
The bridge鈥檚 current railings are roughly 4 feet tall and feature no climbing deterrent.
The project answers decades of calls by first responders and families of people who have died by suicide at the bridge, the site of numerous suicides over the years.
Until the project can be completed, Miera said in a press release that NMDOT is considering a 鈥渢emporary barrier鈥� to prevent people in a state of mental crisis from taking their lives at the bridge.
鈥淭his latest suicide comes amidst talks with NMDOT to introduce an intermediate temporary barrier that would prevent this until the forthcoming railing construction begins this summer,鈥� Miera said.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. The New Mexico Crisis and Access Line can also be reached at 855-662-7474 (855-NMCRISIS).
John Miller is the sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 northern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at jmiller@abqjournal.com.
