Deputy Bensor with the Sheriff's Office. By chance, have you seen your your neighbors over at 97 Heather? No, sir, I haven't. I I've been really worried about him Okay. >> since January. Since January? This is Thomas Graham. For the past 5 months, his neighbor Craig Tetford had not been seen, and his sudden departure is beginning to raise alarm. with the Terraconna Sheriff's Office. We were looking for Craig Tetford. We haven't heard from Craig. Okay. Um we're buying the house from him. Okay. Um But while officers performed a welfare check, It doesn't look like there's anyone in there. Is that dirt or is that blood? The suspicion in the air deepened. Was Craig still alive, or had he just decided to go on vacation without telling his friends and family? Goodbye. >> [screaming] >> On May 12th, 2025, the Otero County Sheriff's Department received a call from the family of Craig Tetford requesting a welfare check, as they had not heard from him in close to 4 months. When deputies arrived at his home, they expected to find Craig, but their expectations were quickly cut short. Sheriff's Office. Yes. >> [music] >> Sheriff's office. Doesn't look like there's anyone in there. I'm saying There were no visible signs of Craig or anyone else inside the house. The home looked as though nobody'd been there in a very long time. The deputies on the ground decided to speak with some of the neighbors, hoping they might have some idea where Craig or his wife, Deanna Thetford, had been. >> [clears throat] >> Good day. How are you, sir? Deputy Benton with the Sheriff's office. By chance, have you seen your your neighbors over at 97 Heather? No, sir, I hadn't. I I've been really worried about him Okay. >> since January. Since January? Yeah. So, is it like do they do they live here like part-time or is it like uh full-time kind of thing? Do do you know? Well, he moved up here full They moved up here full-time. Okay. Oh, this was back about 2 years ago. And we're real good friends and everything. Okay. And we were both on the James Canyon Fire Department. Mhm. And then come January, it was just no contact. No contact at all come January? The neighbor had not seen Craig since January, a 5-month gap. Craig was not the kind of person who simply disappeared without notice. If he were around, you would certainly see him outside spending time with his neighbors. With a neighbor confirming that months had passed without any contact with Craig, the deputy knew that something was wrong, but he still needed more certainty before drawing any conclusions. Okay. Have you seen any vehicles or anything or anybody in there? There was a black car that was up here and they parked up here up there in the in the in the shop out there in the shed. Yeah. And but they were kind of discreet. Okay. And they had they had Texas plates on it. And uh I seen them drive by a few times, but Did you recognize that the vehicle? Was it like something that they usually drive or >> No. It wasn't one of theirs. >> No. Okay. All righty, sir. Um Do you know their names? I know His name's Craig Lefford and his wife's name's Dana Lefford. Uh-huh. Uh the ones right over here in the same frame right here Yeah. That's Heidi and Heidi and Joshua Whiney? And she's real good friends with her over there with uh Dana. Okay. Do you mind if I get your um information? Yeah. Oh. I got him. I've been on I was on the Canyon Fire Department there for about about 5 and 1/2 years. >> Mhm. And when he moved up here, I talked him into it. Okay. And I mean, we were real good friends and everything. >> Yeah. And then Josh over here, he got on We got him on the fire department. Got you. Okay. So, it it About like how often would you see you guys usually talk or Oh, we talked all the time. Like was it like phone calls, messages, or just like in person? >> he's going to help me do all this drywall. Oh, okay. >> He's going to help me do this roof. Okay. Okay, so you guys would hang out >> Yeah. Yeah, we were real good friends. Got you. Got you. And you said since January you haven't seen anybody or heard from him or anything like that. >> Yeah, January I got sick, he got sick, and a couple of other people on the fire department got sick. Okay. And then it was after that, it just it just disappeared. Okay. >> know if he got sick and passed away. I didn't know what happened. Okay. Cuz I ain't been able to talk to him or nothing. Got you. All right, Mr. >> his mom His mom was in real bad health over in the Breckenridge. Okay. And that's where they were supposed to move back to for the time being. Breckenridge? >> Yeah. Okay. All right, sir. Well, um I appreciate your time, okay? >> Josh and Heidi here would know more information about them cuz Okay. >> I know uh Do you know what the the address is over there? It's it's his it's that A-frame right there. >> This one right here? >> Yeah, this one right here. >> Okay. Okay. And you said Josh and Heidi? Yeah, Josh and Heidi Twomey. Got you. All right, sir. Well, I appreciate it, okay? All right. Yeah, how you uh If something happened, I still would like to know. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. >> friends with him. Yeah, we That's what we're here pretty much just just checking up on him, make sure that he's okay. But, you know, there's nothing going on, but All righty, sir. Um if I have any other questions or anything like that, I'll give you a call, okay? All right. I appreciate it. I'll talk to you later. >> Yes, sir. Take care. Deputies also paid a visit to another neighbor, who confirmed that she, too, had not seen Craig since January, pointing to one disturbing mystery. What really happened to Craig? with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office. We were looking for Craig Setford. Yeah, we haven't heard from Craig. Okay. Um, we're buying the house from him. Okay. Um And? He was in Breckenridge taking care of his mom. In Breckenridge? Yeah. Okay. And um yeah, we've been trying to get a hold of him because we're paying money every month and he was doing a spreadsheet for us and However, prior to this day, officers had already been to the property and spoken with Deanna Setford, who told them that she and her husband were getting divorced and that he'd gone down to Mexico with his new girlfriend to fish. During that visit, Deanna showed the sheriff's deputies two safes that belonged to Craig, for which she did not have the combinations. She told police that her husband kept up to 1.5 million dollars in cash inside those safes and that she believed he'd taken the money with him to Mexico. Over the course of the following days, detectives visited Deanna Setford, but each time she offered a series of excuses that raised suspicion. Hi, I missed your phone call. Yes, ma'am. How are you? This is Deputy Benton calling from the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office. I was calling in in reference to your husband, Craig. It seems that he hasn't been in contact with a lot of his family and and some of his friends. Right. Yeah, we have been separated and I recently filed for divorce. Um, he's kind of he's involved with someone else and currently he's in Mexico. And when was the last time you saw him or spoke to him? Before he left. Would you have an estimate like, you know, was it like 1 week, 2 weeks? First of the month. First of the month. And you saw him in person, Craig? Yes. Yes, he was packing. Yes. Where was this at? Was this at your residence on Heather Lane? >> Yes. He has moved out. And where are you currently staying at? I'm at my mom's in Texas, Seymour, Texas. Yeah. Well, I guess let me ask you, are you going to permanently be staying at Seymour, Texas? No, okay. Until I see what happens in the divorce. I'm going to ask for the property. Okay. I mean, I don't I don't think he's missing. After searching the property and speaking with the neighbors, officers left the vicinity. The following day, they returned to the property hoping to see Craig. Where's office? That's the same light on that was in there. Yeah. Yeah, that's the same light. Wait, are you using your flashlight or is that the light from the room? I don't remember when there was a light on inside. Was that the outside light shining in? I think it is the outside shining. >> Yeah, okay. It's lighting up that shade. >> Yeah. It's that close, but Okay. I don't smell anything. You can move. I think there's a back in street that comes in straight in. Yeah. Yeah. >> With no visible signs of anyone in the house, officers left that day. The following morning, they returned with one purpose, to force entry into the home and determine what was happening. Sheriff's office. Back. Where's the entry keypad? It's locked. There's not one on this door. There's one for the man cave. Might be it. 64 64. There's a lock on that door though, too. No. There may be one on this side. There's one on the man cave. There's one on this side. See if that gets you in. Door's not opening. Downstairs entry. Near the garage. Sheriff's office. Clear. What? What? I heard you. What? You say anything? What? Shh. Do you want to go to the left or to the right doors? Open this. Stairs? Up there. Okay. What's that? You got stairs? If you want to go to the second floor, I'll go and check that door and I'll go upstairs. We go up there. Clear. [ __ ] I got another door. All right. Clear, dude. I got another door. Clear. Clear. Clear. Clear. Good? Yep. Back around. Clear out. What? Okay, go to the stairs. Clear. Clear. Someone needs to Someone needs to hold. You want to hold here? If you want to go to the second floor. Do you want to hold here? >> Yeah, I'll hold here. Clear. Clear. Clear. Clear. >> I think so. Total? What do we Call clear? I already checked the bedroom here and the bathroom and the closet. Okay. Yeah, it's Wally. Shirts first. And then we'll start. Yeah. Seven. It's in my room. Man, too. Huh? The safety deposit? Yep. He's going to sleep first before he just put it Yeah, the garage was that so maybe that's going to be something else. You got entry point? Negative. >> Did you get anything? Is there a lot? Is that the main living area? Let's clear the living room. Next floor is clear, so we can go. Anything in there? No. The kitchen which is the kitchen. Uh I think both of you said that back one doesn't connect to this. Yes, it doesn't look like it. What the hell is in Clearing the camper with Mitchell. Let's go. Maybe up here? Yeah, let's let's see through. Who is this tap down on the floor? Here. Yep, there. You good? Here. Say bye. There we go. Good job, you guys. You good, man? You should probably Sheriff up here AND SAY SEARCH WARRANT. What's up you having upstairs? It's Small room, got a door. Small room coming out. Okay. All clear. Light it up. All of them? Yep, coming out. You want to do it right? Clear. Clear. Is anyone looking to see if there is any cameras with anything seen? >> [laughter] >> There's cameras on the back side of this house. Mhm, yeah. Which is good. We'll be finding that golden. I'm sure she destroyed it if there was any. Let's see if there are any cameras. You can pull it, but I'll wait till we finish up here. Is that dirt or is that blood? After a thorough search of the house, there were no visible signs of foul play or any blood anywhere inside. Everything looked tidy, and yet Craig was nowhere to be found. Diana Thetford was also difficult to reach. Whenever officers tried to contact her, the calls went straight [music] to voicemail. It was suspicious, but at the same time, it was difficult to conclude that she'd done anything. During the search, officers were able to locate and open the safe, and what they found was deeply disturbing. The amount Diana had told the officers was stored inside turned out to be drastically different from [music] what they discovered. Officers found approximately $84,200, a fraction of the 1.5 million she described. That discrepancy pointed to one of two possibilities. Either someone had been spending [music] Craig's money or Diana had never been truthful about it in the first place. But when officers spoke with more of the neighbors, they came forward with evidence that would change the course [music] of this case entirely. One of the neighbors, Thomas's wife, the same neighbor officers had initially spoken with during the welfare check, handed officers a large white binder containing every text message she and her husband had sent to Craig since his disappearance. The responses [music] coming from Craig's phone made it clear that whoever was on the other end was not Craig. Through further conversations with neighbors, officers also learned that Diana had relocated to Texas. Once there, authorities discovered that she had suddenly come into a significant amount of money. She was buying property and making large purchases. Everything pointed to one conclusion. She had taken the money from Craig's safe. But without any sign of Craig himself or any knowledge of what had happened to him, officers could not yet make an arrest. That, however, was about to change when a male friend of Diana's came forward with information she had confided in him. This is Detective Curtis with the Otero County Sheriff's Office. I had a message that you had called. Yes, I have. All All what can I help you with, sir? That recently got in touch with an old friend of mine. She was married right then and there. She said she said she shot him. Okay. I know I don't I have a conscience and I can't I couldn't just not say nothing. I don't really want to be involved in this, but I guess I am, but I guess all I know is I got I was here in Texas. I hadn't seen her in years. Talked to her in years until last Friday and things last week were learning. And then she come out with that [ __ ] cuz I'm thinking she put more on my plate than I'm ready to chew. So like maybe something good. Can you tell me uh her name? I've been seeing her in life, Dennis. Okay. So I take I I'm real old-fashioned and all and I believe what people tell me. So that I don't know if she really married someone or not, but I don't I don't know. Can you um tell me how the conversation went? You said that you guys had just recently connected, hadn't talked for years. Right. And how did this all come about? Uh well, we I mean we we've done that before like, you know, being out of touch for a couple of years and then we talk back up or whatever. And she I guess it was what you call my sweet like that. Like she done something that she wasn't proud of and she worried something she wasn't even blessed out of and I read between the lines and then she when I was out there she shot him and I told her to shut the [ __ ] up. I don't want to hear no more. And it was all Okay. Did she tell you when? No no ma'am, I I don't have a I was going to learn the details. Okay. Detectives were getting closer to cracking this case. With this confession, they now knew that Diana was fully aware of what had happened to her husband, but one witness was not enough to make an arrest. Detectives needed more evidence to build a case strong enough to convict her. While they were still processing the investigation, detectives received a tip that Diana had attempted to take her own life at her mother's home. That said a great deal about her awareness of what she'd done. In order to preserve all available evidence, detectives rushed to Diana's mother's home and upon speaking with her, tried to find out whether Diana had confessed to anything during that episode. And I don't really know when it was, maybe it was We were there Thanksgiving. That's the first time I'd seen their place. And So, it was after Thanksgiving. Uh I think it was maybe I don't really know, maybe. January, February, sometime like that she started coming back. Okay. I think I'm not sure. Uh And she and Craig was supposed to go to the farming class somewhere. Uh >> [clears throat] >> I can't remember. Maybe Hobbs, New Mexico or someplace. She told me he that that his little his little group uh got a chance to go to California to the a big farm. >> [snorts] >> And he couldn't go because uh >> [clears throat] >> he didn't have all the qualifications. He So, he was going to go to that school, but it would take him several months. Mhm. And so, she was by herself. And she said, "I realize how much I miss my family and my home." Well, so she started coming home to see it. And she thought she planned it right out of uh house that they had in breakfast. And I think she maybe originally was going to stay with me. >> [gasps] >> Do you need a glass of water or anything, Mary? No. So, she just she finally found a house she could live in. During and she got on the house she would live in. Then she got So, she got the house. And she started packing her stuff. And I had to really I don't know what took her, but she finally, it seemed like a long time. And she had some uh >> [clears throat] >> the big stuff, she had somebody uh to come move it. And they put it in the house. And it's she's still getting all settled in the house because they had a little apartment. And she's having an apartment and a roommate. I mean, we're we're we're We're in a bad state. So, she could read that, too. Detectives eventually wrapped up that conversation. However, in the days that followed, another call came in. This time from a family member of Diana's and what she revealed helped crack this case in a significant way. Sheriff's office. Oh, hi. Yes, um I spoke to uh my cu- So, anyway, my cousin has information regarding the missing person out there and I believe they talked to you about it already. So, I don't have any additional information, but I just had wanted to make sure that y'all had gotten the information. Okay, who's your cousin? Uh my cousin is Cole Johnson, but it was his wife, her name is Leslie Kate, and it was regarding her mother. She is a Sutfin about Craig Sutfin. Okay. Um Okay. Can you Can you tell me what you know cuz I know that there's been a couple of uh people who have called and um I wanted to I I just want to make sure that this information hasn't gone overlooked. Yeah, I I I just overheard a conversation. We were just having a get-together with family that she's like sort of related to me through my cousin. Um and she was talking about how her mom came to town in like March. It It looks like he's been missing since June. I I didn't know he was missing until the weekend. Um I didn't really know him or her very well. I only met the other Diana Sutfin once. But uh her mom kind of moved back and had money which she never had before and bought a house in Seymour, Texas. And she's seen her a couple of times and then the last time she had saw her she wanted her daughter to meet her at a hotel and that's when she told her that she had shot her husband and buried him under the carport or in the carport area. Okay, I'm just writing notes here. Armed with that information, detectives obtained a search warrant for Craig's home. When they returned and examined the [music] carport, they opened it and inside they found Craig's body wrapped in black plastic, blankets, and rugs covered in a white powdery substance and mothballs. Following the discovery, a warrant was issued for Deanna Thetford's arrest. She was taken into custody in Texas and transported to Wichita. When detectives sat down with her, they had one thing in mind: why she had murdered Craig. So, I surely understand why we're all here. Yes. Did you get a copy of your arrest warrant I got a new copy of it. Okay. I'm not going to talk to anybody anywhere. Okay. And I'm just going to tell you right now I'm going to need a lawyer. Okay. And that's as far as I want to go. Okay, that's fine. Do you already have a lawyer that's set up with you or anything? >> No, I haven't been I've been here in Texas. Yeah. All right. I didn't know if you'd um already reached out to one or or had talked to one before. I have not known what to do. I just really haven't known what to do. So, uh yeah. All right. Well, do you understand the the process of um of all of this thing with that you've worked in the in the jails before? Yes, but I was always on the other end. I've never really been in a part of this cycle of it before. So, I you know, I don't know I really don't know from one day to the next where I'm going to be, if we're leaving today or what we're going to do. We and they'll they'll want to find out that he will be transported back to Otero County. So, um once that that happens, um if you make arrangements and start to make arrangements to get an attorney while you're here or if you wait to do it out there, uh either way I'll make sure that you have my card. Okay. And if you end up losing it somewhere along the way, then um you can just let Otero County Jail know to reach out and they'll get a hold of me and Yeah, usually anything I have on me they take, so I I usually don't So, I I guess I just thought I would get there and get the intake done or whatever and then try to reach out to someone. Okay. That's my plan because I don't know any better any other way. I don't know anyone there. In in New Mexico? Okay. Well, uh in either way, I'll just I'll give you my card. Okay. And then um that way you can you'll have it and I'm the only male detective for Otero County, so the jail will know I was going to know exactly >> they'll be able to get a hold of me and just let Okay. Yeah, so um I can meet you out there with your attorney if you'd like and then we can we can sit down and and chat. Okay. Okay. Um you want to keep it? Nope, I got others. Okay. >> Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you. Okay, nice to Excuse me. I'll give it to whoever's walking me back. That way they they have it. Bye. I don't know he's there. >> [laughter] >> Deanna refused to speak with detectives. She invoked her right to an attorney before she would say anything further. Deanna was later charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. As of the making of this video, her case hasn't gone to trial. Meanwhile, an autopsy determined that Craig Thetford had been shot multiple times and had been dead anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. His manner of death was ruled a homicide.