Police arrested two men in Stockton this weekend on murder and
robbery charges for allegedly killing Hollister resident Ralph
Santos.
Police arrested two men in Stockton this weekend on murder and robbery charges for allegedly killing Hollister resident Ralph Santos.
Eliseo Leon Rojas, 24, and Eusebio Rios Ramos, 30, both of Stockton, were arrested on suspicion of murder, armed robbery, conspiracy and auto theft, and allegedly confessed to the murder, according to Hollister Police Chief Larry Todd said.
Rojas and Ramos are currently being held without bail in San Benito County jail pending a hearing.
Santos’ family was notified by investigators about the arrests, but the family could not be reached for comment by press time this morning.
Todd and San Benito County Sheriff Curtis Hill, leaders of a local task force investigating Santos’ murder, said the arrests were made Saturday evening.
A Stockton police officer on routine patrol, spotted the red 2002 Kia Optima belonging to Santos, 73, which had been missing since his disappearance on June 10.
The officer stopped the car, which was reportedly being driven by Rojas, and detained him for questioning.
“Members of the task force were sent to Stockton to question Mr. Rojas,” Todd said. “As a result of the questioning, officers obtained a search warrant and went to a house where Mr. Ramos was taken into custody,” Todd said.
Along with Ramos, police reportedly discovered several items that belonged to Santos, including a credit card and his driver’s license, police said.
After additional questioning, both Rojas and Ramos confessed to killing Santos, Todd said.
Rojas and Ramos were transferred to San Benito County Jail on Sunday.
Santos’ missing Kia Optima was the focus of the task force’s investigation since Santos’ disappearance on June 10. The car was the last place he was seen alive that night, according to witness accounts.
At first it was believed that Santos had disappeared in the company of a thin Hispanic man and a heavy set blonde woman. However, now it is believed that Rojas and Ramos acted alone and there was no woman involved.
Investigators said Rojas and Ramos probably murdered Santos on the same evening that he disappeared, not on June 19 when his body was discovered in a mustard-seed field near Buena Vista Road in Hollister.
“We now believe Mr. Santos was killed by these two individuals at a much earlier time,” Todd said.
Just how Santos was killed, is still under investigation. An autopsy conducted on June 20, was inconclusive.
Chemical tests are currently being conducted on Santos’ blood and tissue samples to see if they can shed more light on the 73-year-old man’s death, and police are classifying the case as a murder.
“We have other physical evidence that indicates this was a homicide,” Todd said.
Santos’ family said it believed something was seriously wrong early on June 10 when Ralph Santos failed to pick up his granddaughter from school. Family members said it was out of character for Santos and that the only reason behind the disappearance of the retired janitor who served as a volunteer at a church in Gilroy was foul play.
Hollister police came under fire from Santos’ family, which accused the department of not pursuing the case aggressively enough.
Todd said he understands that the case is a highly emotional issue for the family, but he insisted the department did everything it could to solve the case.
“This is a large, extended family and they are legitimately concerned about their loved one,” Todd said. “I thoroughly understand their concerns and understand the grieving that they are going through.”
