Missing Since: 2004-06-05 Location: Cave Junction, Oregon
Ramirez was last seen in the early morning hours of June 5, 2004, leaving his residence at the 200 block of Junction Avenue in Cave Junction, Oregon. He was planning to take a day trip to Kelly Lake, which is located in the Siskiyou Wilderness just across the California border. He has never been heard from again. His personal possessions and his cherished dog, a three-year-old brindle-colored pit bull named Kandi, were found a week later in Page Mountain Park. A photograph of the dog is posted with this case summary. Kandi had been shot twice in the head with a .22 caliber gun a few days before she was found, and her leg and paw were also injured. She survived. There was no sign of Ramirez at the scene. His .22 caliber Beretta is missing. Ramirez’s car, a dark green 1997 Oldsmobile Bravada SUV with the Oregon license plate number VHW-491, disappeared with him. A photograph of a similar car is posted with this case summary. The vehicle was found in Klamath Falls, Oregon in July 2004. The man driving it, Juan Miguel Ramon Soto, was arrested. Authorities have identified two persons of interest in Ramirez’s disappearance. The men, Jose Luis Villegas-Cavada and Joel Brian Rico-Orozco, were both in the Happy Camp, California area at the time Ramirez disappeared, and were driving a White 1996 Chevrolet Monte Carlo with Oregon plates. Photographs of both men and a similar vehicle are posted with this case summary. They are being sought for questioning by police. Investigators announced in 2006 that they had located evidence in Ramirez’s case in an unspecified foreign country. They believe he may have been kidnapped and murdered and that the crime probably took place in California. Some items relating to his disappearance were found on Native American reservation land in northern California. Ramirez’s disappearance remains unsolved. Investigating Agency Josephine County Sheriff’s Office 541-474-5123 Source Information NamUs KGW News Siskiyou Daily News Fox 12 Oregon The Child Seek Network The Medford Mail Tribune Happy Camp News America’s Most Wanted Updated 7 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated March 20, 2009; distinguishing characteristics and clothing/jewelry description updated.