Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Ryan Thomas was killed in a single-vehicle crash near the intersection of Manzano Expressway and South Del Oro Loop at approximately 9:00 pm.
He was responding to a call for service when his patrol car left the roadway and overturned. He suffered fatal injuries when he was ejected from the patrol car.
Deputy Thomas was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and Colorado Air National Guard who had served with the Valencia County Sheriff's Office for one year and had previously served with the Alamogordo Police Department for two years.
Survivors
He is survived by his expectant wife and one child.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NM-BDEB5A2B- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Navy. One record, 2 gates. Ryan is one person.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Deputy Sheriff Thomas gave the Valencia County Sheriff's Office 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Los Lunas community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Ryan Sean Thomas served in the U.S. Navy before joining law enforcement.
Deputy Sheriff Ryan Sean Thomas is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.
In NM, 59 of 193 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30.6% of this state's fallen. That is 30.6 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Valencia County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 7 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ryan Sean Thomas's cause is highlighted.
How Ryan Sean Thomas Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Ryan Sean Thomas is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Military Service
Ryan Sean Thomas served in the U.S. Navy before joining law enforcement.
Visit Ryan Sean Thomas’s page on salute.nw →
His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.
Others Who Wore This Badge
6 officers from Valencia County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
