New Mexico State Police, New Mexico
End of Watch: Thursday, February 24, 1949
Age: 38
Tour of Duty: 12 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Heart attack
Date of Incident: February 24, 1949
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Patrolman William Speight succumbed to exposure while en route to maintain a generator that powered a state police radio tower on Wofford Mountain near Cloudcroft.
He suffered a fatal heart attack while hiking through deep snow in an attempt to reach the radio tower. While hiking up the mountain, he blacked out and succumbed to the cold temperatures. He experienced blackouts as a side effect of a gunshot wound received in 1939.
Patrolman Speight was a U.S. Army WWII and had served with the New Mexico State Police for 12 years. He was a widower and was survived by his daughter, parents, and brother.