A body found in October 2014 on the southern banks of the Black River at the Dan River Access in Poplar Bluff was identified as 48-year-old Salvador Ruiz Ramirez. Investigators determined he had been shot twice in the head and that his home had been burglarized and deliberately set on fire, apparently to destroy evidence.

Surveillance cameras on the house captured Curtis Walker and a co-defendant breaking into the residence. Data from Ramirez’s cell phone suggested Walker owed him money. Walker was later arrested after a high-speed chase while riding as a passenger in a stolen vehicle. The co-defendant testified that Walker shot Ramirez and disposed of the body in the river; Walker claimed self-defense.

A Butler County jury convicted Walker of second-degree murder, armed criminal action and burglary; in June 2021 he was sentenced to a total of 75 years behind bars. Does anyone have information about Ramirez’s life in Poplar Bluff or the days leading up to October 2014?