Kyle Steven Eckmann
Luna County, N.M. — A 15-year-old girl reported missing from Texas was safely recovered in New Mexico on Friday, August 22, after New Mexico State Police (NMSP) used license plate reader technology to locate the vehicle she was traveling in.
At approximately 7:46 p.m., officers received an alert from a license plate reader identifying a Volkswagen sedan traveling westbound on Interstate 10 as connected to the teen’s disappearance. Officers located the vehicle near milepost 88, where the driver attempted to flee by crossing the median and crashing into a water-filled ditch.
The driver, identified as 20-year-old Kyle Steven Eckmann, exited the vehicle with the girl and allegedly threatened officers, claiming he was armed. Officers determined he was unarmed and took him into custody without further incident. During the arrest, Eckmann reportedly instructed the girl not to speak to police.
The girl was confirmed to be the missing juvenile and placed in the care of the New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD), which notified her parents.
Eckmann was booked into the county jail and faces multiple charges, including:
- First-degree kidnapping
- Aggravated assault upon a peace officer with a deadly weapon
- Aggravated fleeing of a law enforcement officer
- Child abuse
- Intimidation of a witness
