A face to the killer: Tulare County detectives close decades-old Angelica Ramirez cold case

Sheyanne N Romero
Visalia Times-Delta

It's not the ending Angelica Ramirez's family spent nearly three decades praying for, but it is a conclusion to a nightmare. 

Twenty-eight years after the 10-year-old Hanford girl was raped, strangled and dumped in a Pixley canal, her killer was identified.

The alleged killer, though, wasn't placed in handcuffs and the Ramirez family will never see the accused killer in court.

Ramiro Villegas spent most of his adult life working in the fields. He moved to Tulare County in the 1980s, but later moved back to Southern California, sheriff's officials said. 

He also had a lengthy criminal history, which included a two-year prison stint. Although detectives believe Villegas victimized multiple children, Angelica is the only homicide tied to him.

He died nearly 10 years ago in Mexico after suffering from Valley Fever.

"I spoke with the family just yesterday," Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said during a Thursday afternoon press conference. "There was no other word but that they felt justice had slipped... I promised the family we had never given up on this case."

The case that gripped a community 

Angelica Ramirez

Angelica's family stood behind Boudreaux during Thursday's press conference. They each held on to a bouquet of white roses. 

Images of their loved one flashed on the screen above them. A photo of the child’s earrings was part of the evidence collected — Mrs. Potts from Disney's “Beauty and the Beast.”

"This case has gripped each of us," Boudreaux said. 

Angelica was the oldest child and would be 38 years old, if she were still alive. 

On March 3, 1994, she was at the Visalia flea market east of town with her mother. The family regularly sold vegetables at flea markets in Tulare, Kings and Fresno counties.

It was a school day, but  Angelica wasn't feeling well and didn't go to class. She was tasked with watching her three younger siblings.

The last time Angelica's mother saw her daughter alive, the girl was walking to the bathroom. When the family noticed Angelica had been gone too long, they started a search for the girl.  

Her body was discovered two days later, nearly 30 miles from where she'd been snatched.

"At least now we have a face to the killer," said Angelica's younger sister, Micaela Ramirez. "I don't have to worry about this person being out there doing this to someone else." 

A match 

Tulare County Sheriff deputies investigate March 5, 1994 near the intersection of Road 96 and Avenue 96 where the body of Angelica Ramirez was found. She was taken from a swap meet in Visalia two days earlier.

Tulare County detectives conducted nearly 1,000 interviews related to this case.

Hundreds of potential suspects were identified, and DNA samples have been tested every year since 2002, but Villegas was never on the sheriff's department radar.  

Everything changed in February.

The FBI Forensic Genealogy Unit agreed to help the sheriff's department and instead of relying on a hit from the CODIS database, detectives tried GEDMatch. The online genetic genealogy database is used to submit DNA and compare it with other files submitted.  

This is the same technology used to identify the Visalia Ransacker, Joseph DeAngelo, also known as The Golden State Killer. 

The suspect’s DNA sample was submitted. A month later there was a match.  

In April, detectives went to Los Angeles and took DNA samples from four of the five brothers associated with the DNA match. Detectives were able to rule them out as suspects, except for Ramiro Villegas.

Detectives zeroed in on Villegas. Their investigation revealed a startling discovery.

Villegas was living in Tulare County during the time Angelica was killed. He also frequented the swap meets, including the Visalia swap meet. 

Detectives also learned that Villegas had a history of child abuse allegations. Those allegations went unreported in the U.S. and in Mexico. At least three victims have been identified and interviewed by detectives. The children range from 6 to 14 years old at the time of the abuse, according to investigators. 

Before he was deported in 2004, Villegas was sentenced to two years in prison for drug trafficking. Villegas lived in Mexico until his death in 2014. 

"Angelica's killer is no longer a mystery," Boudreaux said. "If there is no solace, we know he is dead. He has a special place in a certain place."

Tulare County Sheriff deputies investigate March 5, 1994 near the intersection of Road 96 and Avenue 96 where the body of Angelica Ramirez was found. She was taken from a swap meet in Visalia two days earlier.

Sheyanne Romero is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network and manages content for the Salinas Californian.