A reward of $10,000 is being offered to any individual who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the death of Garland Taylor, an Albuquerque, N.M., Realtor and church deacon.
The body of Taylor, 74, was found Monday night in a home he had reportedly shown earlier that day. The body showed signs of trauma, investigators said. Taylor was the listing agent for the home, which had a list price of $910,000.
The Albuquerque Metropolitan Board of Realtors and the Albuquerque Multiple Listings Service established the reward fund, Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren P. White and Albuquerque real estate industry leaders announced today.
Contributions can be made to the fund at any Wells Fargo bank branch in the form of a deposit to the “SWMLS reward fund” account.
Investigators are looking for a man who was seen with Taylor at the for-sale home Monday morning. According to witness reports, this man is described as a Hispanic or white male in his early to mid-30s, 5 feet 10 inches to 5 feet 11 inches tall and 170-180 pounds. The man was reportedly well dressed and well groomed when he was seen with Taylor.
According to Sheriff’s reports, the man said he is a corporate lawyer from Arizona, and he carried a briefcase with a shoulder strap. He reportedly drove a white or light-blue Ford Taurus or other mid-size, four-door Ford with Arizona license plates.
Taylor reportedly received a call from a man on a pay phone prior to meeting the man at the home, and investigators and local real estate agents said other Albuquerque-area Realtors may have been contacted by a suspicious man who asked about home listings.
The Albuquerque Metropolitan Board of Realtors posted an advisory on its Web site on Tuesday to alert area Realtors about the incident. An advisory on the site states: “The Albuquerque Metropolitan Board of Realtors recommends that you do not meet strangers at your listings. Please meet clients at your office before proceeding on to homes. Do not show listings alone.”
The advisory also asks agents to “please look in your listed homes to see if there is a business card for Garland Taylor for the last two weeks. This is an urgent matter – please respond if you have any information as soon as possible.” Agents who have this business card are advised to contact Linda Forsythe, office coordinator for the Albuquerque board, at (505) 724-3462.
Anyone who has a tip relating to this crime can call the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department at (505) 798-7000 or Crimestoppers at (505) 843-STOP.
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