Lonely Morning Hours: The Death of Shawna Toya

November 12, 2025 / Laurah Norton

Jemez Pueblo artist Shawna Toya was found unresponsive in her car at an Albuquerque, New Mexico park on August 1, 2021, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Her family discovered evidence—another person's ID in Shawna's vehicle, missing rent money, and undocumented trauma on her body—that they believe warrants further investigation.

Our coverage features interviews with Shawna's mother, renowned traditional potter Geraldine Toya, and MMIWR/MMIP advocate and lawyer Darlene Gomez as the family continues seeking answers about her death.

Season 24 of The Fall Line covers missing persons, unsolved homicides, and unresolved deaths across the United States.

If you have any information that you feel could aid in a reinvestigation of Shawna Toya's death and the circumstances surrounding it: reach out to Darlene Gomez at the Law Offices of Darlene Gomez https://dargomezlaw.com or the Albuquerque Police Department at 505-843-STOP.

Darlene Gomez's non profit: https://www.mmiwr.org/

Submit a case to The Fall Line: https://www.thefalllinepodcast.com/case-submissions

Laurah's book LAY THEM TO REST: https://www.hachettebooks.com/titles/laurah-norton/lay-them-to-rest/9780306828805/

Sources at our website: https://www.thefalllinepodcast.com/sources

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