Juan Gabriel Ramirez was 45 and from Palestine, Texas, when he died from multiple gunshot wounds on January 26, 2020. Deputies from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office found Ramirez near US 79; investigators described the killing as a targeted attack but did not identify suspects at the scene.

Investigators later arrested Erik Eduardo Almaraz and Gerson Escobar Orellana in a related investigation into a separate murder and an attempted kidnapping. Those men were linked to a human smuggling operation and reportedly confessed to involvement in that shooting, but the authorities did not find direct evidence tying them to Ramirez’s death.

The case remains under investigation and the family has publicly sought justice. Does anyone have information about activity near US 79 on January 26, 2020, or possible links to this attack?