Gilberto Ramirez, age 55, a male and Hispanic/Latino, was found with a fatal gunshot wound on August 20, 2025, along the 4600 block of Hunt Road just south of Gustine, California. Deputies were dispatched around 4:14 p.m., and he was pronounced dead at the scene as detectives began treating the case as a homicide. The Merced County Coroner’s Office later confirmed the identity of Gilberto Ramirez, age 55, male, of Gustine.
Investigators processed the rural scene and collected evidence into the evening as they worked to determine what unfolded before the shooting. Early public statements from the Merced County Sheriff’s Office described the death as suspicious; by the next day, the investigation had shifted decisively to homicide, focusing on events centered on that private property surrounded by fields off Hunt Road between Gun Club and Taglio.
Within roughly 24 hours, detectives identified 46-year-old Timothy Fontes as a suspect. On the morning of August 21, deputies located Fontes driving a pickup in a rural area near Gustine and arrested him without incident, with assistance from the Sheriff’s SWAT team. He was booked into the Merced County Jail on suspicion of felony murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and enhancements tied to prior serious felony convictions; records noted he was held without bond while the case was filed with the District Attorney’s Office. Authorities indicated that Gilberto Ramirez, age 55, male, and Fontes knew each other, though they declined to discuss the nature of that relationship.
In the days that followed, officials publicly confirmed the victim’s identity as Gilberto Ramirez, age 55, male, of Gustine, and reiterated that the investigation remained active. Community memorial pages recorded his death on August 20, 2025, in Gustine, as additional outlets echoed the Sheriff’s account of the scene and the subsequent arrest.
