Teen from troubled youth camp killed in crash

By: Kim Tobin, KOB Eyewitness News 4

SIERRA COUNTY -- New Mexico state police confirm an 18-year-old man attending a troubled youth camp died after he was thrown from the bed of a pickup truck when it rolled on Sunday.

Sgt. Emmanuel Gutierrez said the crash happened in Hillsboro, N.M. and involved boys from Tierra Blanca Ranch. Bruce Staeger, 18, from Deming was killed.

The accident did not occur on the ranch's property, but on a road nearby.

Police said 18-year-old Michael Meyers, another youth at the ranch, was driving the Ford pickup truck when he came around a curve and lost control.

The truck rolled, landing upside down on its roof. Staeger was in the bed of the pickup and was thrown from the truck. He was taken to the University Medical Center in El Paso, Texas, where he died the next day.

The group's website says they are a ranch for troubled boys who want a new beginning.

State police say they are openly investigating a child abuse case at the ranch as well, but would not release any more details.