LOS LUNAS — Howling winds flattened small bunches of balloons clutched by dozens of people gathered outside a Los Lunas office one Saturday afternoon in mid-January.
The somber crowd was there to share memories of Monterra “Monty” Wolf, a former investigator with the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department who had died by suicide about a month earlier. Workplace bullying had taken a toll on her mental health, close colleagues said.
They described Wolf as an outspoken employee, raising concerns about housing foster youth in CYFD offices, being overworked and other workplace problems, which prompted numerous internal investigations and reprimands over issues her colleagues described as minor…