Police Make 1 Arrest, Issue 2 Warrants In Death Of Man Found Shot Inside Beaver County Home After Fire
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
BIG BEAVER, Pa. (KDKA) - A 23-year-old has been arrested in connection with the death of a man who was found with multiple gunshot wounds after a fire in Beaver County.
Beaver Falls police say Eder Gomez Ernesto Ramos from Houston, Texas is facing multiple charges, including arson, abuse of a corpse and criminal conspiracy. Police say he's currently behind bars in the Beaver County Jail.
Arrest warrants have also been issued for 43-year-old Ana Cecelia de Mireles and 32-year-old Raul Manuel Rivera-Arroyo from the borough of Big Beaver. They're wanted on multiple charges, including arson and abuse of a corpse. Police say they are considered armed and dangerous.
Just after 6 a.m. Sunday, firefighters were called to a home in the 1200 block of Shenango Road for a fire. Once fire crews and police were on scene, a 26-year-old man was found dead inside.
The Beaver County coroner says Rolando Contreras was found shot multiple times. Beaver Falls police said they were investigating the death of Contreras, who was a Moon Township resident previously from Texas, as a homicide.
Police say the house was set on fire in hopes of concealing the homicide inside.
Neighbors told KDKA all or most of the men worked at the Shell Cracker Plant in nearby Potter Township. They said the men kept to themselves but worked the night shift and could be heard partying late at night.
According to a criminal complaint, the men quarreled in the house when things deadly. In a statement, Ramos said he left, and when he returned, he heard gunshots and saw Rivera-Arroyo and Mireles flee. Ramos says he went inside and saw Contreras dead on the floor.
In his statement to police, Ramos said Rivera-Arroyo then called him on his cellphone, threatening him and telling him to place sheets on the stove to set the house on fire, which he did.
Beaver Falls police are asking for anyone that may have witnessed any kind of activity at the home between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. to contact them or Beaver County detectives at 724-846-7000 or 724-775-0880.