GUILTY NM - Ellen Roth, 61, Albuquerque, 3 May 2009

[Veritas]

Details/news links here at "Lighting the Way Home" -- "State by State -- New Mexico". Did she find a way to escape from him or did he make good on his threats or ??? Friends and family are desperate. He's at myspace as sinsofthefatherzero ; sad and scary young man.

 

[Juliana]

Details/news links here at "Lighting the Way Home" -- "State by State -- New Mexico". Did she find a way to escape from him or did he make good on his threats or ??? Friends and family are desperate. He's at myspace as sinsofthefatherzero ; sad and scary young man.

Here's an article in the local paper. Not sure where the info on her son came from.

http://www.koat.com/news/19586747/detail.html

 

[imamaze]

Originally posted by: Veritas, moved to missing board for discussion

Hope fading for family of missing teacher

Trail of missing teacher
growing cold

Search Continues For Missing Teacher

Woman goes missing; son is person of interest



[CALL 505 - 242-COPS with any tips or insights]

Albuquerque teacher Ellen Roth, a dedicated reading specialist at Chelwood Elementary and 25-year APS veteran educator, has not been seen since the afternoon of Sunday, May 3, 2009, at her condo on San Antonio NE. It is a complete mystery how or why she disappeared and, while there is definitely a possibility of foul play, other scenarios are still plausible. This colleague is esteemed by her coworkers and treasured by her students -- thus causing great grief and anxiety rippling through APS and the community she served, as well as devastating her despairing friends and relatives.
APD has called Ellen Roth's son a "person of interest" but is questioning everyone -- casting a wide net.Ellen, a single mom, called police the day before her disappearance to report her 19-year-old adopted son, *** Roth, had been stealing from her {credit card}. He was arrested and is currently jailed for violating his parole/probation stemming from his arrest last July for assault on a household member: a serious threat to kill his mother, Ellen. He and his wife, *** Nielsen Roth, attended APS schools when they were younger and CNM most recently. About a week after Ellen was last seen, her green 2007 Dodge Caravan was found by police parked at an apartment complex in the 400 block of Tennessee NE (near Copper), across town from her home. Keys were in the ignition and the license plate had been switched. Ellen’s family hopes anyone who possibly saw the van during that first week of May time period will step forward with information.

 

[Veritas]

Local TV Friday showed niece posting flyers in area van was found -- the switched plate and key in ignition is a REAL puzzle. Any veteran sleuths around who could conjecture? That area is known as the "war zone" for drugs and violence across town from Ellen's home. Very strange.

stories and video:
¸ http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S947326.shtml?cat=520
¸ http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/..._of_missing_teacher_growing_cold_200905251954
¸ http://www.koat.com/news/19444381/detail.html
¸ http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S925719

 

[Kat]

Local TV Friday showed niece posting flyers in area van was found -- the switched plate and key in ignition is a REAL puzzle. Any veteran sleuths around who could conjecture? That area is known as the "war zone" for drugs and violence across town from Ellen's home. Very strange.

stories and video:
¸ http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S947326.shtml?cat=520
¸ http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/..._of_missing_teacher_growing_cold_200905251954
¸ http://www.koat.com/news/19444381/detail.html
¸ http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S925719

Snips from articles you listed Veritas:

...time is of the essence in the case since Roth left critical medications in her condo...

I wonder what type of medication she requires? I don't see it in follow up articles.

...The person who filed the missing person's report told detectives a relative of Roth's, with a history of abusing and threatening her, "might've done something to...Roth...knowing he was going back to jail."

The day before the teacher vanished she called police and accused the close family member of stealing her credit card. The relative admitted to the theft, according to police reports.

But police said the relative Roth reported has a solid alibi. Still investigators said at this point they haven't ruled anyone out as persons of interest...

This relative was her adopted son?

I can't speculate why the key was in the ignition but the plates for the van had been switched out to someone elses. That's kind of bizarre in a way. Someone will come along that has heard of that being done before and have a logical explanation.

 

[Veritas]

Twitter News report 6/2/09
RT @_mari: Missing schoolteacher's son in court for probation violation. Waiting on his appearance.
1:00 PM
Jun 2nd from web in reply to krqe_maria
RT@_mari: Bryan Roth sentenced to 90 days for probation violation.1:31 PM Jun 2nd
krqe
krqe.com

 

[Tonia]

Body Of Missing Schoolteacher Found
Son And Wife, Three Others Arrested

Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz said Friday that a body found in the Jemez is that of Ellen Roth, an Albuquerque elementary school teacher who had been missing since May.

Schultz said Roth's son Bryan and his wife, Cathleen Nielson-Roth, have been arrested in connection with the death, along with James Johnson, Chris Donovan and Bella Gonzales.

http://www.koat.com/news/21118872/detail.html

 

[dreamweaver]

Body Of Missing Schoolteacher Found
Son And Wife, Three Others Arrested

Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz said Friday that a body found in the Jemez is that of Ellen Roth, an Albuquerque elementary school teacher who had been missing since May.

Schultz said Roth's son Bryan and his wife, Cathleen Nielson-Roth, have been arrested in connection with the death, along with James Johnson, Chris Donovan and Bella Gonzales.

http://www.koat.com/news/21118872/detail.html

==============
So very glad she has been found.

Killed because she turned in her son for stealing from her.
Sigh.............................
from Shakespeare's King Lear...
'How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is
To have a thankless child! '

She raised him and then his wife and their friends kill her.

RIP Ellen Roth.

 

[TripleA]

RIP Ellen

 

[Veritas]

LE cites revenge as the motive, but I wouldn't underestimate the financial benefits to a sole surviving heir as an incentive. Still, I cannot but wonder at how a lovely, intelligent being like Ellen Roth got dragged into a whirlpool of Jeckle and Hyde dysfunctional personalities. How do these extreme people find each other? Evil must NOT be allowed to triumph! Ellen's adopted child issued his own foreshadowing on his blog: "i hate family becasue i got stabed in the back by two all you need in life is friends." The woman who devoted her life to trying to create a sense of family for him was probably the BEST friend he ever had but he dumped her life for these other terribly mixed up "friends". Chris Donovan is an E4 airman in the NM Air National Guard with a seemingly lovely, patriotic family in Edgewood. Spike/James Johnson supposedly calls himself a vampire at his workplace selling tobacco and boasts on his MySpace "I am a total fan of guns, anime, swords, evil, death, psychos, demons, and just about anything else that's evil and fun" BUT says he wants children "someday". Daughter-in-law Kit/Cathleen likes cute kitty cats and calls pals "sweetie" yet writes "I am thoroughly and hopelessly addicted to Zombie movies. If it has the walking dead in it I will watch it and probably like it. And slasher movies. Nothing like watching a grown man get ripped apart. Woooot". Most people don't like unannounced overnight guests but reportedly this Bella will go to the other extreme and play hostess to her friends' murder victim! How can "teams" just coalesce for such a diabolical, heinous, HUGE atrocity? I am baffled and sad.

 

[shannon2008]

I'm a huge fangirl of zombie movies (and I also love lots of cute and more wholesome things). Doesn't make me a killer. In fact I've never had so much as a speeding ticket in my life.

I mostly don't agree that what someone enjoys entertainment-wise turns them into what a killer becomes.

I think it sounds like the son was the biggest piece of work. I think he foreshadowed what he would do to his adopted mother and then snapped when he found out she called the cops on him and did it.

I think he killed her and maybe the others were in the house/room and panicked. Then he could have convinced them they would all go to prison for being there, and scared them into helping hide the body (maybe they aren't very bright). I don't see how it would have taken 5 people to kill her.

 

[Veritas]

I'm a huge fangirl of zombie movies (and I also love lots of cute and more wholesome things). Doesn't make me a killer. In fact I've never had so much as a speeding ticket in my life. I mostly don't agree that what someone enjoys entertainment-wise turns them into what a killer becomes.
I think it sounds like the son was the biggest piece of work. .....I think he killed her and maybe the others were in the house/room and panicked. Then he could have convinced them they would all go to prison for being there, and scared them into helping hide the body (maybe they aren't very bright). I don't see how it would have taken 5 people to kill her.

UM.....Kit/Cathleen went beyond "enjoying entertainment" -- It was
her lifestyle! Goth, Blood, etc. She relished the scenes of bodies
being slashed! BIG Dif from watching Freddie Kruger with popcorn
and Pepsi!
Son was in a jail cell at actual time of murder. Daughter-in-law Kit/Cathleen TOOK POLICE to the grave! Buddy Donovan, an airman in Air National Guard, for crying out loud, gave police the timetable of events and described how he did the driving and pal Bella talked about how surprised she was when the 3 pals (not son) arrived at her apartment with the body (which they kicked) and let them store the victim there.

 

[OkieGranny]

From October 2011:

http://www.abqjournal.com/63166/news/28-years-for-role-in-teachers-killing.html

James Robert Johnson, one of four people charged with the 2009 murder of teacher Ellen Roth, has been sentenced to 28 years in prison based on his July plea to second-degree murder, tampering with evidence and conspiracy to tamper with evidence...

Christopher Donovan and Bella Gonzales also have entered guilty pleas — Donovan, 23, to second-degree murder and Gonzales 28, to evidence-tampering and conspiracy. Donovan is awaiting sentencing but faces up to 15 years under terms of the plea. Gonzales was sentenced to 4 1/2 years of supervised probation.

From October 2013:

http://www.abqjournal.com/279478/news/woman-sentenced-in-teachers-death.html

Cathleen “Kit” Roth on Thursday was sentenced to 37½ years in prison for her leading role in the murder of her mother-in-law, elementary school teacher Ellen Roth.

Presiding 2nd Judicial District criminal Judge Charles Brown had rejected the first plea deal for Roth that would have capped the potential sentence at 28 years. The revised agreement allowed any amount of time up to 37½ years for her plea to second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit second-degree murder.