Theresa Marcelina Ramirez (Oct 8, 1958 – Dec 4, 1993) features as Case of the Month for July. She was found murdered in a burning field around 840am on December 4, 1993 in Roswell, New Mexico. Theresa has no web presence.
Lucky for me, her family saved a newspaper clipping (see below). The picture isn’t sharp so here are the facts from that clipping:
- Theresa was shot several times in her head and body. It would be interesting to know whether she was shot from behind, which caliber was used, what was the fatal shot, etc.
- She was not murdered where she was found. Maybe there wasn’t enough blood in the area around her to make that assessment. Maybe authorities found dragging signs or tire prints. I have not been able to find any information about this.
- The field was set on fire to hide her body however, only the field around Theresa’s remains burned but not her body. Maybe the fire was sparked while those responsible were running away from her body or, it was set shortly before she was found.
- An autopsy took place at the Office of the medical Investigator in Albuquerque. I am curious to learn the findings.
- There is no information about possible motive or suspects.
Missing information:
- was she beaten,
- was she robbed,
- did she have all her possessions with her,
- was she wearing any jewelry,
- were her clothes properly preserved (if she was wearing any),
- what objects were found in the field near her,
- how long had the fire been burning,
- when did Theresa disappear, and
- did she ever express fear for someone?
The newspaper article is very short. It leaves us with too many questions.
I wish that we had more to post about Theresa. If you have any memories, went to school with Theresa or, you have pictures that I may use, please contact me so we can update this post.
**
Resources
The Ramirez Family (clipping and picture of Theresa, all used with permission)
Find a Grave (picture of Theresa’s grave)
**
In the series “Case of the Month” I highlight old cold cases. These posts are not an in-depth analysis. Often more information can be found online or in newspaper archives. The goal of these posts is to get the cases back in the spotlights, to get people talking again, and if anything to make sure that we do not forget the victims. Just because their cases are cold does not mean that we can forget about them.
If you have any thoughts about this case then I encourage you to post them on your own social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, etc.) Every time that we mention Theresa’s name online we enhance her digital footprint.
We must make sure that Theresa gets a better web presence if we ever wish to find answers in her case. You can help by linking to or sharing this post.
Thank you for remembering Theresa Marcelina Ramirez with us.