In a quiet park in Lawrenceville, Georgia, a heartbreaking scene unfolded late one Saturday night. An officer on a routine patrol of Bethesda Park around 11:30 p.m. on April 17, 2021, discovered a parked vehicle in a back lot. Inside, the officer found the bodies of 11-year-old Valeria Ramos and her 45-year-old father, Ignacio Ramos. Both had sustained at least one gunshot wound.
Investigators with the Gwinnett County Police Department believe that Ignacio Ramos shot and killed his daughter before turning the gun on himself in a tragic murder-suicide. The grim discovery was made after an officer approached the Toyota Camry and found Ignacio in the driver's seat with a gun in his lap, and Valeria beside him. The case was quickly ruled a murder-suicide by detectives, who are still working to understand what led to the devastating event.
Hours before the bodies were found, Ignacio Ramos's brother had contacted the police after receiving a disturbing text message from him around 7:40 p.m. In the message, Ignacio told his brother to start making funeral arrangements for him. The brother informed officers that Ignacio was upset because his girlfriend had gone to a party without telling him and had left his home with Valeria. Despite the alarming text, his brother told investigators that Ignacio had never previously expressed any thoughts of harming himself or others.
Valeria was a student at Camp Creek Elementary in Lilburn, where she had been attending since she started school. The school's principal sent a letter to parents informing them of the tragic loss and making grief counselors available to students and staff to help them cope with the sudden and profound loss of a young life.
