Nine days after the body of Ralph Santos was discovered in a
farm field, the Hollister Police Department is continuing its
homicide investigation while searching for two prime suspects who
may have been responsible for the death.
Nine days after the body of Ralph Santos was discovered in a farm field, the Hollister Police Department is continuing its homicide investigation while searching for two prime suspects who may have been responsible for the death.
The immediate focus of the investigation continues to be Santos’ missing red 2002 Kia Optima, in which he was last seen on June 10. Eyewitness reports said Santos, 73, was in the company of the two suspects.
The first suspect is described as a heavy-set white female who is 35-40 years old and weighs about 180 to 200 pounds with platinum blonde curly hair.
The second suspect is described as a thin Hispanic male, 35-40 years old, wearing “dirty” clothes similar to that of a mechanic, police said. He was last seen wearing a dark colored baseball cap, a dark shirt and scruffy facial hair.
The red Optima had a license plate number of 5BBT748. Investigators this week said finding the Optima is the key to finding the suspects.
Once Santos’ disappearance was made public, police had received numerous calls and investigators have been following up on those leads, police said.
Santos body was discovered June 18, eight days after he was first reported missing, when agricultural workers went to check a well near a 50-acre field of mustard seed plants.
They walked through a field of plants and found the body near a pump, police said.
Hollister police have come under fire from the Santos family, many of whom accuse the department of not pursuing the case aggressively enough.
Early in the week, Ralph Santos, Jr. said the family is “working with the police department” to figure out how Santos died. However, the family could not be reached for comment later in the week.
Todd said he understands the case is a highly emotional issue for the family, but he insists 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.”
Anyone who knows where Santos’ missing car is or has any other information should call the Hollister Police Department at 636-4330 and speak to Officer George Ramirez or the on-duty Watch Commander.
