MIDLAND COUNTY, Texas (TCN) —Â A man and woman have been arrested in connection with the death of a man who was found dismembered in a storage tote.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by KMID, a man called the police and claimed he had witnessed a homicide on May 11 at a residence and requested a welfare check be performed. Responding officers knocked repeatedly but no one answered the door. A neighbor said the resident of the trailer home often engaged in suspicious activity.
When the resident, 43-year-old Sandra Elizabeth Ramos, did not answer the door, authorities obtained her phone number from the witness and they arranged to meet her at the property. She allegedly did not arrive.
Authorities then interviewed the man who claimed he had witnessed the homicide inside the trailer home, Victor Esparza, 31. Esparza reportedly gave authorities a cellphone that belonged to Ramos. KBTX reports Espara told authorities that the victim, whose name has not been released, was involved in a Cash App dispute over stolen money.
During his interview, Esparza said Ramos had allegedly picked him and the victim up and brought them to the residence, where several people were doing methamphetamine. He claimed Ramos FaceTimed someone and that the two discussed assaulting the victim.
KBTX reports Esparza said Ramos held him at gunpoint during the assault on the victim. The victim was allegedly beaten up with a baseball bat and then stabbed before being put into a plastic storage tote. Esparza said that Ramos forced him to shower and change clothes and then help dismember the body with a hacksaw.
According to KMID, another witness alleged to authorities that they had seen Esparza take part in the attack by stomping on the victim and strangling him.
On May 12, authorities were granted access to the home by the homeowner, who stated that he had tried multiple times to get Ramos to move out but was unsuccessful because he did not live in the area. Dismembered remains were found in a storage bin in the primary suite’s bathroom, and there was reportedly an air conditioner unit blowing cold air directly onto the bin.
KMID reports Ramos was arrested May 12 and is being held on $2 million bond. Esparza was arrested the following day and is being held on $2 million bond. Both were charged with murder. The investigation is active.
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