GUILTY NM - Cecelia Finona, 59, Farmington, 30 May 2019 *arrest*

[PommyMommy]

JUL 23, 2019
Native American women keep disappearing. Here are 4 of their stories.
[...]

Cecilia Finona, 59, was last seen on May 30, 2019 at the home she shared with her boyfriend in Farmington, New Mexico.

In court documents seen by the Albuquerque Journal, Finona's mother said Finona and her boyfriend, Jerry Jay, had been arguing and someone left the house in the middle of the night.

Finona, who is part of the Navajo Nation, has not been seen since, and investigators believe foul play is suspected in her disappearance.

[...]

 

[Seattle1]

KFYR-TV‏Verified account @KFYRTV
New Mexico woman missing for two months; boyfriend arrested for using her debit card after her disappearance
5:11 PM - 30 Jul 2019 pst

New Mexico man accused of using girlfriend’s debit card after her disappearance

 

[Seattle1]

July 30, 2019, 4:33 PM PDT
By Andrea Cavallier


A woman who served 31 years in the U.S. Army disappeared from her home in Farmington, New Mexico two months ago following what family described as a heated argument with her boyfriend.

Cecelia “CeCe” Barber Finona, 59, was last seen on May 30 at the home where she lived with her boyfriend, Jerry Jay, and her mother, according to Farmington Police Department spokesperson Nicole Brown.


Finona’s mother told investigators the couple had been arguing that night and one of them left the house.

[...]

On June 5, police got a hit. Jay had used a debit card at an ATM in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card belonged to Finona, police said.

He also used her cards in Farmington, New Mexico, Window Rock, Arizona and Kingman, Arizona, police said. The total withdrawn was more than $1,200.

Jay, 57, was arrested and charged with one count of unlawful withdrawal from a financial institution. He remains in jail in Reno, Nevada.

He has not been charged in Finona’s disappearance and police say this is being investigated as a missing person’s case.

 

[PommyMommy]

July 30, 2019, 4:33 PM PDT
By Andrea Cavallier

A woman who served 31 years in the U.S. Army disappeared from her home in Farmington, New Mexico two months ago following what family described as a heated argument with her boyfriend.

Cecelia “CeCe” Barber Finona, 59, was last seen on May 30 at the home where she lived with her boyfriend, Jerry Jay, and her mother, according to Farmington Police Department spokesperson Nicole Brown.

Finona’s mother told investigators the couple had been arguing that night and one of them left the house.

[...]

On June 5, police got a hit. Jay had used a debit card at an ATM in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card belonged to Finona, police said.

He also used her cards in Farmington, New Mexico, Window Rock, Arizona and Kingman, Arizona, police said. The total withdrawn was more than $1,200.

Jay, 57, was arrested and charged with one count of unlawful withdrawal from a financial institution. He remains in jail in Reno, Nevada.

He has not been charged in Finona’s disappearance and police say this is being investigated as a missing person’s case.

Adding link: New Mexico man accused of using girlfriend’s debit card after her disappearance

 

[Seattle1]

Adding link: New Mexico man accused of using girlfriend’s debit card after her disappearance

Thanks Pommy -- I missed my Wheaties last Tuesday!

 

[PommyMommy]

AUG 13, 2019
Bring Cece Home

• The search continues - today is day 73 CeCe has been missing.
• More volunteers are needed - the more people, the more area they can cover.
• Next search is Aug 18 at 7:30 a.m. Meet at Flowing Water Casino

 

[PommyMommy]

AUG 19, 2019
Bring CeCe Home
"As we near the 90 day mark of the disappearance of my mother I sit and think of all the events that have taken place. The one mission my mother always talked about is bringing my family together and building a bond so strong it’s unbreakable. This mission has been completed. Not only do we gather to search we gather on many occasions. Whether they are impromptu or not. It brings joy to my heart to know that this is all my mother wanted and it’s being fulfilled. We are strong for each other. #familydeep #familystrong#bringcecehome"

 

[Stripehaven]

This scares me. I have a family member from the same town who has been missing since February/March.

I just saw this. I am so very sorry. Have you had any news?

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 28, 2019
Bring CeCe Home

• Today marks 120 days.
• CeCe's daughter posted a beautiful photo of her mother and herself - their last picture together and the last time she saw her.
• The number of volunteer searchers has dwindled but the family continues to search weekly.
• CeCe's daughter says that the FBI and New Mexico State resources have not helped them.
• She says that her mother was a dedicated veteran, has helped so many, and it seems as if her community has already forgotten her. She deserves to come home to be buried respectfully. Her family needs to grieve and have closure.

 

[rainynights]

Cecelia Finona

Generate Poster

Source: New Mexico Missing Person Information

 

[PommyMommy]

NOV 12, 2019
Bring Cece Home

NOV 25, 2019
Bring Cece Home

• Cecelia Finona has not been found
• Search efforts continue
• Searches will lessen as the weather worsens so please continue to pray

 

[PommyMommy]

Where is the POI, Jerry Jay?

This July 30, 2019 article says he was in jail in Reno, NV. This is the last report of his whereabouts that I can find.
New Mexico man accused of using girlfriend’s debit card after her disappearance

But, he is not in the Washoe Co. Detention Center in Reno: Washoe County Sheriff's Office - Northern Nevada's Full Service Law Enforcement Agency

Neither is he in the Clark Co. Detention Center in Las Vegas:
Clark County Detention Center

There has been no activity in the Farmington case since June 2019:
New Mexico Courts - Case Lookup
Case Number M-47-FR-201900404
Unlawful Use or Theft of an ATM or Debit Card
Charge Date 05/31/2019
Filed 06/04/2019

Farmington is in San Juan County NM and he is not in the Detention Center there: Detainee Search

Reportedly, JJ also used Cecelia's bank card in Window Rock (Apache Co.) and Kingman AZ (Mohave Co.).

He is not in the Apache Co. Jail:CrimeGraphics.com

He is not in the Mohave Co. Jail: Mohave County

 

[Dre]

FANTASTIC sleuthing @PommyMommy
That’s so disconcerting... breaks my heart when native women go missing.. but especially when there’s a poi/sus and no justice
Rooting for Cece and her family. WE WONT LET THIS GO !

 

[PommyMommy]

FANTASTIC sleuthing @PommyMommy
That’s so disconcerting... breaks my heart when native women go missing.. but especially when there’s a poi/sus and no justice
Rooting for Cece and her family. WE WONT LET THIS GO !

TY, yes, it is very worrisome. I'm just going to hope and pray that somebody has him locked up somewhere for something we don't even know about! MOO

#FindCeceFinona

 

[CastlesBurning]

Demanding Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 2, 2021
Missing Farmington woman found dead in Nevada (krqe.com)
... The Farmington Police Department says the remains of Cecelia Finona were found in Clark County, Nevada back in February. They confirmed her identity on Wednesday.

[...]

... Her boyfriend, Jerry Jay, 59, is charged with her kidnapping and murder. In June 2019, he was arrested in Nevada for credit card fraud and is still is custody.

[...]
Body of missing Farmington woman found in Nevada | KOB 4

Police say Fionona and Jay were in a relationship. However, a police have not released a motive for the killing.

“Today we have very mixed feelings. This marks the ending of two years of searching, and we’re deeply saddened at the outcome. We will continue working as we have since the day she disappeared to ensure the person responsible for this is held accountable. We offer our most heartfelt condolences to Cecelia’s family and friends," said Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe.

[...]

Rest peacefully, Cecelia.

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 2, 2021
Body of missing Navajo Army veteran found in Nevada - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper
[...]

Authorities in Farmington, New Mexico, say the body was found in Clark County, Nevada, in February. DNA test results this week showed the remains belonged to Cecelia Finona, who was 59 when she was last seen at her Farmington home the evening of May 30, 2019.

Police on Friday filed charges of murder, kidnapping and and tampering with evidence against her boyfriend, Jerry Jay. It was not clear if he had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

[...]

According to a court document, Jay used Finona’s ATM card several times, with the first withdrawal made around 6 a.m. May 31 in Farmington and the next around 9:30 a.m. the same day in Window Rock, Arizona. Window Rock is the capital of the Navajo Nation.

He also used her debit card the following two days in Las Vegas and Kingman, Arizona, according to police. The total withdrawn amounted to more than $1,200.

Police said surveillance footage did not show Finona with him.

[...]

The daughter said the family found blood at Finona’s home and reported it to police. She also said her aunt’s dog led them to her mother’s eyeglass lens on the property.

Police note in court documents that the blood at the home stretched from the bottom of the porch to Finona’s gravel driveway and that someone had tried to cover it with potting soil. A “single eyeglass lens covered in blood” also was found, the officer said.

[...]

Finona had returned to New Mexico after 31 years in the U.S. Army. Months before her disappearance, she was featured in the Farmington Daily Times in a story about women in the military being honored in Shiprock.

[...]

 

[Al Ka]

Body found in February identified through DNA as missing New Mexico woman Cecelia Barber Finona two years after she disappeared; boyfriend charged with her murder
The 59-year-old U.S. Army veteran was last seen on May 30, 2019 in Farmington, New Mexico

Body found in February identified through DNA as missing New Mexico woman two years after she disappeared; boyfriend charged with her murder

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Family finds closure: Missing mother's body found two years later

FARMINGTON, N.M. - Farmington's Cecilia Finona, an Army veteran and mother, went missing two years ago.

Her body was discovered in Nevada in early July, and her boyfriend has been charged with her kidnapping and murder.

Funeral services took place Tuesday at St. Mary’s Church in Farmington to lay Finona to rest. A procession stretched from Albuquerque to Shiprock to honor the Army veteran.

 

[CastlesBurning]

https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/lo...omen-featured-dateline-nbc-s-missing-n1277762

On May 30, 2019, Cecelia Barber Finona, a 59-year-old Navajo woman, vanished from her home in Farmington, New Mexico, following an argument with her boyfriend, Jerry Jay.

Cecelia’s daughter, Julietta Faria, told Dateline the last time she spoke to her mother was the day before she disappeared. She added that when they spoke, Cecelia had been excited for her nephew’s upcoming graduation.

Cecelia was reported missing on June 1, 2019, when family members were unable to reach her and became concerned when they learned she and her white Ford truck were gone, but her purse and driver’s license were left behind, court documents revealed. The family told the Farmington Police Department that Cecilia and her boyfriend had been arguing before she disappeared. Detectives conducted a search of Cecelia’s home and discovered evidence that led them to be concerned for her safety.

On June 5, 2019, Cecelia’s boyfriend, Jerry Jay, was arrested after police say he used her card at an ATM in Las Vegas, Nevada. They say he also used her cards in Farmington, New Mexico, Window Rock, Arizona and Kingman, Arizona, police said. Jay pleaded guilty and is serving time in a Nevada prison.

In February 2020, nearly a year after Cecelia vanished, human remains were found in Clark County, Nevada. The remains were identified through DNA on June 30, 2020 as belonging to Cecelia.

Following the identification, police charged Jerry Jay with first-degree murder. He was also with charged with kidnapping, and tampering with evidence. Once released from prison in Nevada, Jay will be extradited to New Mexico to face the new charges.

Farmington Police told Dateline in 2021 that foul play was suspected from the beginning. According to court documents unsealed in 2021, blood found at Cecelia’s home stretched from the bottom of the porch to the driveway and it appeared someone had tried to cover it with potting soil. A “single eyeglass lens covered in blood” was also found, police said.

Anyone with more information about Cecelia’s case is asked to contact Detective Daven Badoni at 505-599-1005 or the Farmington Police Department tip hotline at 505-599-1068.