N.M. Man Tied To Car, Dragged

Police are trying to find out why a Gallup man was bound by the ankles, tied to a vehicle and dragged more than a mile early Easter morning, leaving a trail of blood and skin.

Fausto Arellano, 32, is listed in critical condition Tuesday morning at University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque. Family and friends filled a waiting room and lined hallways at the hospital, wondering if the father of two would survive.

"He's always been a fighter. He's gotta fight this one," said friend Edna Garcia. "We're just out here guessing. We just sit here and pray."

Officers received a report early Sunday of an injured man in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant. They arrived to find Arellano and a rope. Drag marks led back to Arellano's home, said Gallup police Detective Erin Pablo.

"It's about three-quarters to a mile that he was dragged," Pablo told CBS affiliate KRQE. "We don't know if the rope broke or his leg came loose."

Arellano has abrasions over 50 percent of his body, and the injuries are being treated as if they were burns, Pablo said. Arellano has not been able to talk with investigators, she said.

No arrests have been made and a motive hasn't been established. Police believe the truck involved was red, had tinted windows and might have been a Dodge.

"Whoever was responsible for this definitely wanted to send a serious message," Gallup Police Chief Sylvester Stanley said. "We're hoping we're going to get some additional information. Hopefully, we can solve this thing real soon."

Carlos Arellano, 16, one of Arellano's two sons, said, "On the roads, there's swerves and stuff showing how they would try to shake him. I just don't know who would do that."

Arellano and his sons had been at a Gallup Lions Club on Saturday night for a birthday party. Police said Arellano returned to the club after he and his brother dropped the boys off at home. He helped the band take down its equipment, and a band member later took him home.

"My dad, he's the only person that I have," said son Anthony Arellano, 11.

"He's always been there for me," Anthony said.

Fausto Arellano is described as a good father who has no known enemies.

E.T. Malone, owner of the M and M Trading Co. in Gallup, said Arellano has worked there for about a decade. Malone called the longtime fetish carver an excellent worker.