Two Las Cruces women charged after police find missing teen hiding in closet
Las Cruces police charged two women after finding a teenage runaway who had been missing for more than a year hiding in a closet.
Police say the boy had been missing for more than a year and was living at the women’s home
Damien Willis, Organ Mountain News
LAS CRUCES - Two Las Cruces women face felony charges after police said they found a teenage runaway hiding in a closet at their home, more than a year after he was reported missing.
Crystal J. Buster, 49, and Kim Renee Stevenson, 68, were arrested Sept. 11.
Buster faces two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and two counts of child abuse. Stevenson is charged with one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and two counts of failing to report child abuse or neglect.
Las Cruces police received a report in July 2025 that a 15-year-old boy had run away from home. Officers pursued several leads and shared information about the missing teenager on social media but were unable to locate him for more than a year.
Police later determined that Buster and Stevenson knew the boy had been reported as a runaway. Investigators also learned that he had not attended school while he was missing.
Investigators suspected the boy was associated with Buster’s 15-year-old daughter. Police interviewed Buster, Stevenson and the girl, but police said they denied knowing where the boy was and claimed they had not seen him in several months.
Additional investigative work led police to believe the boy was living with the girl at the family’s home.
Officers executed a search warrant at the residence Sept. 11 and found the boy hiding in a closet, police said. He was taken into custody and issued a Class III juvenile citation.
Buster and Stevenson were also taken into custody that day.
Police said Buster’s 21-year-old daughter and her 19-year-old boyfriend, who also live at the home, were later charged with two misdemeanor counts each of failing to report child abuse or neglect. Police did not release their names.
Police did not provide additional details about the child abuse allegations.
Las Cruces police reminded residents that intentionally harboring a runaway or missing juvenile is illegal. Anyone who knows or suspects that someone is harboring a runaway may call police at 575-526-0795.
Damien Willis is founder and editor of Organ Mountain News. If you have a personal story to share or a lead we should follow up on, reach out at OrganMountainNews@gmail.com or connect with him on X at @damienwillis.
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