Murder reported near Alleghany/Ashe line

A Hispanic man was found dead in a section of woods in Laurel Springs near the Ashe/Alleghany line and three other migrant workers have been charged with his beating death.

The body was originally reported to Alleghany County law enforcement by friends of the victim at around 1 p.m. last Thursday, according to Sheriff Mike Caudill of the Alleghany County Sheriff's Department. Caudill said a man and a woman reported that the victim, Jose Alfredo Ramirez, had been in a fight with three men the night before and was missing.

Caudill got the names of the three suspects — 20-year-old Ecier Perez Matias, 22-year-old Angel Cruz Gomez and 31-year-old Gregonio Viteruo Gonzales — soon afterwards and learned they might have gone to Sparta sometime after the murder. All of the men were Mexican nationals in the United States working as migrant laborers. Det. Lt. Wayne Crouse of the Sparta Police Department joined the hunt for the suspects and sent out an APB (All Points Bulletin) for the vehicle, a grey four-door, in surrounding counties. Five Hispanic males were in the vehicle, but only three were suspected of involvement in the crime.

Later a more detailed description of the car emerged as investigators learned the suspects may have patronized two local businesses prior to leaving the area heading south on U.S. 21 at around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Since the suspects had been living in the Mount Olive area, the search soon centered on Interstates 77 and 40, Caudill said.

Ironically, troopers Steve Roten and Bob Lane happened to be riding on I-77 and helped make the stop of the suspect vehicle in Iredell County, where the three suspects were taken into custody. According to Ashe County's arrest reports, the men were officially taken into custody at 10 p.m. last Thursday night. Peyton Colvard was listed as the arresting officer.

Meanwhile, sheriff's department personnel went to the scene and discovered the body with the apparent murder weapon, a piece of 2X4 about five feet long. The board was still lying on top of the body, according to information from the sheriff's department.

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