A former Durango police officer found dead last month across the New Mexico state line in Rio Arriba County was remembered for her work in helping educate Southwest Coloradans about motorcycle safety while on the force for nearly a decade.
The fact that Helen “Nicki” Rudnicki, 60, had expressed suicidal ideations to her partner while living in Ignacio before her death made it even more tragic.
Rudnicki’s body was found just off U.S. Highway 64 near some trees about 6 miles south of Chama, New Mexico. An autopsy report confirmed she died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s Office Major Lorenzo Aguilar.
Rudnicki, who mostly worked patrol, worked for the Durango Police Department from November 2006 to April 2016. She was also a certified motorcycle instructor outside of work.
“She was super informed and a strong advocate for motorcycle safety,” said Durango police Cmdr. Jacob Dunlop.
Dunlop also said Rudnicki taught people where it is safe to ride motorcycles, how to navigate lanes and how to recognize safety hazards involving motorcycles.
“She was always a great person to be around. She had a good attitude,” Dunlop said. “Her motorcycle instruction was a big part of her off-duty life, if you will.”
Rudnicki also helped riders receive motorcycle endorsements on their driver’s licenses, he said. Such endorsement tests include maneuvering a motorcycle through cones and stopping safely without tipping over the motorcycle.
“She was very passionate about just people riding safely,” Dunlop said. “Since she was a passionate advocate for it, I think a lot of people benefited from her instruction.”
According to Capt. Kevin Burns with the San Juan County (New Mexico) Sheriff’s Office, which took a missing person’s report on Rudnicki July 4, Rudnicki’s significant other told the Sheriff’s Office that she’d made statements “that she was having suicidal thoughts,” but could not confirm the timeline for how long she’d expressed those ideations before her death.
A 9-millimeter semiautomatic Glock 27 was found on the driver’s side floorboard, which was determined to have been the weapon used, Aguilar said. A .22-caliber pistol was also found in a bag in the vehicle, he added.
Although New Mexico Department of Transportation workers found the vehicle with Rudnicki’s body in it on Aug. 22, Aguilar said the Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s Office believes she died a short time after she was reported missing, based on decomposition.
“Just because of the weather, she was in a hot vehicle for over a month. So, decomposition was very rapid,” he said. “The way she was located in the vehicle, the heat and the weather did accelerate the decomposition.”
Aguilar also said the stretch of U.S. 64 where Rudnicki was found was not a well-traveled part of the highway.
Looking at her personnel file, Dunlop said Rudnicki left presumably because she was ready to pursue other interests outside of law enforcement.
Dunlop said he did not keep in touch with Rudnicki after she left the department, so he was unaware that she was struggling with thoughts of suicide.
Dunlop said Durango police had lost a few retired members to suicide over the years.
“It’s always sad,” he said.
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