2 Suspects In Custody For Homicide Of Missing Sheriff's Volunteer
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Authorities in the East Bay confirmed Friday that a body found in a creek at an East Oakland park was that of a missing Alameda County Sheriff's Department volunteer and that two homicide suspects were in custody.
21-year-old Karla Ramirez-Segoviano was last seen dropping off a friend on 136th Avenue in San Leandro at 10 p.m. Wednesday. Ramirez-Segoviano was a volunteer in the department's Explorer program.
The body identified as Ramirez-Segoviano was discovered on Thursday just before noon was found just outside Arroyo Viejo Recreation Center on the 7700 block of Krause Avenue.
Friday afternoon, authorities confirmed that homicide investigators, patrol officers and crime reduction teams followed up leads which ultimately led to the two individuals -- a male and a female, both Oakland residents -- being taken into custody in connection with Ramirez-Segoviano's homicide.
The two suspects were still being questioned as of Friday afternoon, but an Oakland Police Department spokesperson said he was confident that they would be arrested in connection with the homicide.
The Oakland Police Department and the Alameda County Sheriff's office held a joint press conference at 3:30 p.m. to provide more details in the case.
RAW: Authorities Answer Questions About Ramirez-Segoviano Case
Police sources told KPIX 5 the suspects lured the victim to Arroyo Viejo Park, where they beat her, stabbed her multiple times and set her body on fire. The source also said that the woman thought Ramirez-Segoviano was having an affair with her boyfriend.
During the press conference, they stated that Ramirez-Segoviano's work with the Alameda County Sheriff's office was not a catalyst in the homicide, but noted that she had a relationship with the woman who was in custody.
Authorities said that they believed the homicide stemmed from a personal conflict and confirmed that the victim was stabbed and had burns.
"Whenever you decide to inflict harm on somebody with something as personal as stabbing them, coming into that person's close personal space and actually having to utilize a knife and push it through that person's skin to do physical harm, that is very personal," said Oakland Police Lt. Roland Holmgren. "It takes a certain type of anger."
Earlier Friday, authorities said her car had been found abandoned near Highway 880 in Hayward.
Deputies located Ramirez-Segoviano's vehicle at about 12:30 a.m. Thursday near Happyland Avenue and West A Street in Hayward, near Interstate Highway 880.
Before the bad news was confirmed, her family remained hopeful.
"We never knew of anyone that had a problem with her," said Karla's aunt, Ana Ramirez Friday morning. "She was a responsible young lady. She worked, went to school."
Ramirez-Segoviano spent the last four years in the Alameda County Sheriff's Department Explorer program.
She was a college student studying to become a sheriff's deputy.