Authorities say the 11-month-old boy was found partially buried near Flora Vista after an overnight search.

FLORA VISTA, N.M. — A search for a missing 11-month-old boy in San Juan County ended on Feb. 9 with deputies finding the child dead in a remote area near Flora Vista, and prosecutors later charged the boy’s father, John Hannon, with child abuse resulting in death and tampering with evidence.

What began as a missing-child report has since widened into a homicide case built around a surveillance video, a discarded stroller, statements detectives say did not match the evidence and medical findings that raised the possibility the child was still alive when he was buried. The boy, identified in court records as John “JJ” Teigue Hannon, disappeared after a walk on Feb. 7. The case now sits in court while questions about Hannon’s competency to stand trial have paused the criminal proceedings.

The known timeline began when a homeowner near Flora Vista reported suspicious video showing a man pushing a stroller through a remote area on Feb. 8. Deputies went to the area and found the stroller but no child. Later that night, the child’s mother, Krystal Phillips, reported that her 11-month-old son had been missing since the previous day. She told investigators that Hannon had taken JJ and a 4-year-old child on a walk to a nearby Dollar General, then returned with only the older child. According to investigators, Hannon said a grandparent had picked up the baby. Sheriff Shane Ferrari later said deputies linked Hannon to the stroller seen on the video, then went to question him at the RV where he was staying. When he did not come out, deputies forced entry and found him hiding inside.

Investigators have said Hannon gave conflicting answers when asked where the baby was. During an interview described in later reports, detectives asked why JJ was missing and whether he was hurt. Hannon replied that the child was “hurt bad,” then denied hitting him directly when officers pressed for details. A medical examiner later found the boy had a skull fracture. Court records cited by local outlets said there was dirt in the child’s airway, a finding that investigators said suggested he may have still been breathing when he was buried. Deputies searching the area on Feb. 9 found the infant’s body near a ditch, with parts of the body exposed and other parts covered in dirt. Investigators also reported finding shoe prints tied to Hannon near the scene.

The case has drawn wider attention because it moved in less than two days from a missing-child report to a homicide filing, and because the allegations describe a death in an isolated stretch of county land rather than in a home or public place. The sheriff’s office filed charges on Feb. 11 and said it would not publicly release the victim’s name out of respect for the family, though court records later identified the child. The New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department has said it had prior involvement with the family. Court records reviewed by local news organizations also described earlier domestic-related cases involving Hannon and a protection-order request filed by the child’s mother that was later denied after she did not appear in court.

Since the arrest, the criminal case has turned to procedure as well as evidence. The district attorney’s office sought pretrial detention, and multiple judges recused themselves before the case was reassigned. At a Feb. 24 hearing, defense attorney Nicole Hall moved toward a competency review. In a filing the next day, she wrote that she believed Hannon might not be competent to stand trial because he did not understand the charges and appeared to have memory issues. On March 3, a judge transferred the matter to the competency docket and stayed the case while a forensic evaluation moves forward. The charges now on file are first-degree felony child abuse resulting in death and second-degree felony tampering with evidence. No trial date has been set while the evaluation is pending.

Public statements in the case have reflected both grief and anger. Ferrari said, “There is no greater evil than individuals who hurt and kill children,” and promised that investigators would pursue justice for the baby. He also thanked deputies and detectives for the long hours spent on the search and investigation. Phillips’ initial report gave the case its first clear direction, according to court accounts, because it placed JJ with his father on the day he vanished and contradicted the claim that a grandparent had taken him. The physical trail investigators describe — the video, the stroller, the ditch, the footprints and the medical findings — has become the backbone of the prosecution narrative while many questions about motive remain unanswered.

The case remains active, with Hannon in custody and the court waiting on competency findings that will determine when the prosecution can move ahead.

Author note: Last updated April 21, 2026.