New Mexico District Judge Beatrice Brickhouse

New Mexico: Courts are unable to state whether ward is dead or alive – since 2010

March 25, 2018 // 0 Comments

By Colleen Heild / Journal Investigative Reporter Sunday, March 25th, 2018 at 12:05am What’s become of Elizabeth Hamel? There’s no indication as to whether she is dead or alive, or if the guardianship/conservatorship has been revoked. Hamel is among dozens of people placed under a legal guardianship or conservator in southern New Mexico over the past 20 years whose welfare is unknown – at least according to state district court records. The scant court records available to the public [- more...]

New Mexico: Who’s guarding the guardians? Part 1 of 5

November 27, 2016 // 0 Comments

Editor’s note: Investigative journalist Diane Dimond, whose weekly syndicated column on crime and justice appears in the Journal, is preparing a book on the nation’s elder guardianship system. It’s a system designed to protect the elderly from the unscrupulous. But as Dimond discovered, it can be dominated by a core group of court-appointed, for-profit professionals who are accused of isolating family members and draining the elders’ estates. New Mexico is no exception. This is the [- more...]