Two charged with felonies for body found on CR215

Following the arrest of two persons of interest connected to the body found in a vehicle on Carbon County Road 215, a 19-year-old and a 17-year-old could each face up to 20 years in prison in Wyoming if convicted on two felony charges.

In documents released to the Saratoga Sun on Monday from the Circuit Court of Rawlins, 17-year-old Marcos Estaban Garza-Calderon and 19-year-old Jose Antonio Ramos are being charged with concealing a felony and conspiracy to conceal a felony. Each charge brings a maximum penalty of no more than 10 years in prison, a fine of no more than $10,000 or both.

Under the charge of concealing a felony, Carbon County Attorney Ashley Mayfield-Davis cites Wyoming State Statute 6-4-502(c) which states that a person who mutilates a dead body or disposes of a dead body in “a hidden, undisclosed or transient location in order to conceal a felony offense” is guilty of a felony.

That same statute is cited under conspiracy to conceal a felony along with Wyoming State Statute 6-1-303(a), which states that a person is guilty of a crime if he agrees with one or more people that they will commit a crime and one or more of them does an overt act to effect the objective of the agreement.

According to the affidavit attached to the docket, the Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) originally responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle parked on Carbon County Road 215. Upon arriving at the location, the WHP observed a 2005 white Toyota Corolla that was registered to a Cristian Odillio Rivera. An individual was observed lying face down and prone in the back seat of the vehicle.

Upon entering the vehicle and checking on the individual, it was determined that the person was deceased. The WHP contacted the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office to investigate an unattended death. Following the arrival of Carbon County Coroner Paul Zamora, examination of the body revealed a gunshot wound to the chest. The identification card found on the body showed the victim was from Omaha, Nebraska. 

The Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) contacted the Omaha Nebraska Police Department Homicide Division to ask if they were familiar with the victim. The homicide division informed DCI that another juvenile, Garza-Calderon, had been reported missing by his father as of 11 a.m. on May 11. It was additionally reported that, as of 5 p.m. on May 10, Garza-Calderon’s girlfriend observed both him and the victim with a person later identified as Ramos in the same vehicle left on Carbon County Road 215.

Following their arrest in Salt Lake City, Utah it was revealed by Garza-Calderon during interrogation that he had been taking adderall, a Schedule II Controlled Substance for which he did not have a prescription. In a later interrogation of Ramos, the 19-year-old suspect admitted to being high around the time that the victim had been shot. 

Also during the interrogation, Garza-Calderon confirmed with DCI Special Agents that he had previously been on a Probation GPS ankle monitor in Nebraska but had removed it. The 17-year-old had been on probation for Possession of a Controlled Substance in Nebraska.

Garza-Calderon made his initital appearance in circuit court on Tuesday morning and a preliminary hearing will be set for a later date.