CONEJOS COUNTY, Colo. — A man was arrested in connection to human remains found in Conejos County in November, and another suspect faces additional charges.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said Francisco Ramirez, 38, of Alamosa was arrested on the following charges after a warrant was issued on Monday:
- Three counts of tampering with deceased human remains
- Three counts of accessory after the fact
- One count of tampering with physical evidence
His charges stem from the homicides of Myron Robert Martinez, Selena Esquibel and Xavier Zeven Garcia.
>Video above from December: Remains of 2nd victim found on Conejos County property identified.
Adre "Psycho" Baroz, 26, also faces additional charges of first degree murder and tampering of evidence in Garcia's death, the 12th Judicial District Attorney's Office announced.
Baroz has already been charged in connection to the murders of Martinez, Esquibel and Shayla Hammel, and continues to be held at the Alamosa County Detentions Center without bond, according to the release.
Ramirez, who officials said is a gang member, was previously arrested on the night of Dec. 11, 2020, in Pueblo on possible state and federal charges. He had not been charged in connection to the Conejos County incident at that time.
In November, two peoples' bodies were found at a property Ramirez was renting-to-own at 19086 County Road 27 in Sanford, Colorado, according to a federal criminal complaint. The property is more than 130 driving miles southwest of Pueblo.
Another body was found at an adjacent property in the Los Sauces area of Conejos County, investigators said.
The remains were in such bad condition that authorities said they had to bring in a forensic odontologist to help identify them. Two of the bodies have been identified as Martinez and Shayla Hammel, and the third set of remains have not been identified.
Investigators have not provided details about the deaths of Esquibel or Garcia.
An informant told federal officials Ramirez, who is also known as "Pancho", was an accessory to the murders, according to the complaint. The informant told investigators Ramirez tried concealing the murders by transporting the bodies in vehicles, cleaning murder scenes and helping burn evidence, including human remains, the complaint says.
The informant said Ramirez drove around the San Luis Valley with the mutilated remains in his vehicle and a vehicle owned by Baroz, sometimes for days at a time, the complaint states.
A federal agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said he received information on Dec. 10 that Ramirez had drugs, a firearm and was driving a white Ford Fusion car, the complaint says.
The ATF agent knew Ramirez had at least one previous felony conviction and that Ramirez was not legally allowed to possess a firearm, the complaint says.
Investigators tracked down Ramirez to an address in Pueblo.
Officers found a Glock handgun, two ammo magazines, and suspected heroin and methamphetamine in a hidden compartment behind the glove box and under the dashboard, the complaint says.
Ramirez was arrested on state of Colorado charges that include:
- Possession of a Schedule II drug with intent to distribute
- Special offender
- Possession of a weapon by a previous offender
The federal criminal complaint charges Ramirez with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
When the human remains were first found in November, a warrant was issued for 26-year-old Adre Baroz for charges of first-degree murder, first-degree assault and second-degree kidnapping.
He was later arrested in New Mexico on unrelated charges.
Julius Baroz was arrested last month and is being held on a $250,000 bond. He has been formally charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of tampering with deceased human remains, according CBI. The first-degree murder charge is related to the death of Martinez who was positively identified as one of the three victims found in Conejos County.
After the arrest of Julius Baroz, Adre Baroz faced additional charges that include two counts of first-degree murder and two additional charges of tampering with deceased human remains.
Julius Baroz appeared in court on Feb. 2 where a two-day preliminary hearing was scheduled for March 29. The hearing will cover the case against Julius Baroz and his brother Adre Baroz and will determine if there's enough evidence to go to trial.
Julius Baroz and CJ Walter Dominguez, 27, were taken into custody by Alamosa Police (APD) officers on Jan. 18.
Dominguez was being held on suspicion of tampering with deceased human remains accessory to first-degree murder and second-degree kidnapping, according to CBI,
Anyone with information about Hammel or the other unidentified human remains located in Conejos County is asked to call a designated tip line at 719-270-0210.
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