CRIME, POLICE + COURTS
UPDATE: Suspect in murder of Gaby Ramos may be in Mexico
Oct 18, 2021, 7:06 PM | Updated: Dec 29, 2022, 12:04 pm
(Friends and family of Gaby Ramos plead with abuse victims to seek help to escape domestic violence, and they call on the accused shooter to turn himself in. Photo: Paul Nelson)
(Friends and family of Gaby Ramos plead with abuse victims to seek help to escape domestic violence, and they call on the accused shooter to turn himself in. Photo: Paul Nelson)
TAYLORSVILLE — The man believed to have shot and killed popular Latina radio host, Gaby Ramos, has possibly fled to Mexico.
The Taylorsville Police Department says they believe the suspect, Manual Perea returned to Mexico shortly after shooting Ramos.
The Department is working with the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office and the United States Marshals Service to locate Perea, and arrest him.
This portion of the story is developing and will be updated when more information is available.
KSL Newsradio’s previous reporting follows:
TAYLORSVILLE – The family of a woman shot and killed in Taylorsville over the weekend is calling for justice. They’re demanding the accused killer turn himself in, and they want everyone to spot the warning signs of domestic violence.
Investigators say Gaby Ramos was hit by multiple bullets after their suspect, Manuel Omar Burciaga-Parea demanded to see Ramos inside the home near 2300 West and 5200 South. Police say he broke her window and started to physically attack her inside the home before her sister and brother-in-law intervened. Family members say Burciaga-Parea left and the police were called, but he reportedly came back and shot Ramos while she was in the doorway.
(Rocio Sifuentes, center, embracing loved ones who wanted to show their support while the family spoke to the press. Photo: Paul Nelson)
Her sister, Rocio Sifuentes, can remember watching Ramos fall from the gunfire and tried to catch her, but she says Burciaga-Parea pointed the gun at her, fired and missed. After that, she thought about her nieces who were still in the home.
“I just said to my nieces, ‘Hey, lock the door and stay there,’” Sifuentes says.
She says Burciaga-Parea left a few seconds after firing, and she believes he may be trying to contact family in Mexico to flee the country. By the time officers arrived, there was nothing they could do to save Ramos.
Sifuentes cried as she said, “I’m super angry and super sad.”
“She was full of light”
Her friends call Ramos a “fighter” who stood up for women struggling with domestic violence. They also say she was “full of light,” and always looked after the needs of her friends and her children.
“The first thing you notice from her is her smile and her energy. It didn’t matter who it was, she was just happy, smiling and joking around with you,” according to family friend Sergio Garcia.
Breaking the cycle of domestic violence
However, brother-in-law Juan Hernandez says he hopes Ramos’ death will serve as an example to all people in abusive relationships about the importance of seeking help. He calls on people not to be afraid, and that there are support systems in place to help people escape domestic violence.
(A small shrine to honor Ramos inside the home where she was shot. Photo: Paul Nelson)
He says, “She’s going to send a message for a lot of girls. We have to take this bad situation ad make it something good.”
He also says people need to be able to spot the signs of domestic violence, and that no one should assume it could never happen to them.
“You see a [person] and you say, ‘Oh, he looks nice. He’s nice,’ but we have to be alert,” Hernandez says.
Utah Domestic Violence Coalition Spokesperson Liz Solis says a victim doesn’t have to be physically harmed to be in an abusive relationship. She says many victims might not recognize their partner’s abusive behavior.
She says, “They might be minimizing what’s happening to them because they’re not being physically injured. Maybe, the person is just super controlling with everything that they do… the finances, their friends, where they work and where they can go.”
Solis believes Ramos’ death will definitely scar her family for the rest of their lives.
“In cases like this, we also know there is going to be a lot of trauma that people are going to experience who witnessed it, whether they’re a child or an adult,” she says.
Domestic violence resources
If you or somebody you know are experiencing trouble linked to domestic violence, the following resources are available to you. Utah Domestic Violence LINKLine 1-800-897-LINK (5465) If LINKLine advocates are experiencing an increased call volume, calls will be forwarded to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) StrongHearts Native Helpline 1-844-762-8483
