Murdered Nun Like 'Mom' to Parishioner

Sister Marguerite Bartz had worried just weeks ago about crime in the community after someone broke into the St. Berard Mission Church and stole bingo money.

Unidentified people arrive at the small home in Navajo, N.M. on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009 where Sister Marguerite Bartz's body was found Sunday. (AP Photo/Heather Clark)

(AP)

Then she herself fell victim to a horrible crime.

The beloved nun was murdered in her residence on church property, a killing that has rattled this impoverished town on the Navajo Indian Reservation and left parishioners in mourning.

"She was like a mom to me," said resident Arlene Deche. "It was so sad to hear what happened to her."

When Bartz, 64, failed to show up as scheduled for Sunday Mass in the neighboring community of Sawmill, a person who hasn't been identified was sent to check on her welfare.

The church property sits along a highway against a scenic backdrop of red rock cliffs near the New Mexico-Arizona border. Her death turned tragedy loose on a town long beset by economic hard times, with its boarded-up, graffiti-scarred houses and weed-strewn playground.

Parishioners sobbed and hugged in the church parking lot as Bartz's roommate, who would only identify herself as Sister Magdalena, returned Wednesday to the residence they shared.

Sister Magdalena was in New Jersey when the crime happened. She said she now plans to move to the larger town of Fort Defiance, Ariz., 15 miles south of Navajo.

"She did a lot of counseling with people that were having difficulties," Magdalena said. "It's hard for anybody to understand the depth of what she did. She wanted so much to empower the people. She wanted them to know how good they were."

The FBI is investigating Bartz's death. Spokesman Darrin Jones said Wednesday a quick arrest is not likely but investigators received preliminary autopsy results that showed Bartz "sustained a substantial amount of trauma, likely as a result of a violent confrontation" with her killer or killers.

Jones said agents are withholding the specific cause of death while the investigation continues. However, he said there was no evidence to suggest Bartz was sexually assaulted or that she was targeted because she was a nun or for religious reasons.