New Mexico Statutes

N.M. Stat. § 30-6-4 (2026)

Obstruction of reporting or investigation of child abuse or

✓ current as of May 2026

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neglect.
   Obstruction of reporting or investigation of child abuse or neglect consists of:

    A. knowingly inhibiting, preventing, obstructing or intimidating another from
reporting, pursuant to Section 32A-4-3 NMSA 1978, child abuse or neglect, including
child sexual abuse; or

   B. knowingly obstructing, delaying, interfering with or denying access to a law
enforcement officer or child protective services social worker in the investigation of a
report of child abuse or sexual abuse.

    Whoever commits obstruction of reporting or investigation of child abuse or neglect
is guilty of a misdemeanor.

History: Laws 1989, ch. 287, § 1; 2014, ch. 10, § 1.

                                      ANNOTATIONS

The 2014 amendment, effective May 21, 2014, corrected an outdated reference in the
NMSA 1978; and in Subsection A, after "Section", changed "32-1-15" to "32A-4-3".

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 5 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 2016–2024 · leading case: State v. Marquez, 2016 NMSC 025 (N.M. 2016).

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State v. Marquez, 2016 NMSC 025 (N.M. 2016). · cites it 4× “¶¶ 20-23 (listing as 14 examples felony murder cases involving criminal sexual penetration, NMSA 1978, 15 § 30-9-11 (2009); aggravated burglary, NMSA 1978, § 30-6-4 (1989); and robbery, 16 NMSA 1978, § 30-16-2 (1973) as appropriate predicate felonies).”

Lowther v. Child. Youth & Fam. Dep't, 101 F.4th 742 (10th Cir. 2024). “Deputy Thornton also stated that Detective Wootton would explain more when he arrived and that N.M. Stat. § 30-6-4 6 Appellate Case: 23-2056 Document: 010111045110 Date Filed: 05/07/2024 Page: 7 permitted the Deputies to enter a home “to check on the welfare of children.”

Lowther v. Child. Youth & Families Dep't (D.N.M. 2020). · cites it 17× “Lowther’s phones due to concerns that there could be evidence on them and went on to explain that New Mexico Statute 1978 § 30-6-4 (NMSA § 30-6-4) permitted officers to check on children welfare.”

State v. Marquez, 2016 NMSC 25 (N.M. 2016). · cites it 2× “¶¶ 20-23 (listing as examples felony murder cases involving criminal sexual penetration, NMSA 1978, § 30-9-11 (2009); aggravated burglary, NMSA 1978, § 30-6-4 (1989); and robbery, NMSA 1978, § 30-16-2 (1973) as appropriate predicate felonies).”

Lowther v. Child. Youth & Families Dep't (D.N.M. 2020). · cites it 2× “Lowther’s phones due to concerns that there could be evidence on them and went on to explain that NMSA 1978 § 30-6-4 permitted officers to check on children welfare.”

Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.