Honk News (Cook County, IL) – A man from Illinois is facing serious charges related to the sexual assault and murder of a woman. Her body was discovered in a nature preserve, partially burned and strangled, after she had been out for a walk with her mother and her mother’s friend.
Dakota Petrey, 30, faces serious charges of first-degree murder and aggravated criminal sexual assault in connection with the death of Vanessa Ceja Ramirez, 22, as stated by Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart in a press release on Tuesday.
Ceja Ramirez went missing during a walk in the Midlothian Meadows Forest Preserve on November 2, 2020. She went back to the car by herself, feeling exhausted, but when her mother arrived, she found her daughter was missing.
The local CW affiliate WGN has acquired the last messages exchanged between mother and daughter, translated from Spanish.
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- 3:47 p.m. from her mother: “where are you?”
- 3:48 p.m. from Ceja Ramirez: “I went back because its too long of a walk.”
- 3:51 p.m. from Ceja Ramirez: “Where are you guys at?”
- 3:53 p.m. from her mother: “We are on our way back.”
- 4 p.m. from Ceja Ramirez’s phone: “Ha verdad”
- 4:21 p.m. from her mother: “Where are you”
- 5:34 p.m. from her mother: “The police are looking for you.”
Two days later, searchers discovered the body of Ceja Ramirez in the preserve. She was a victim of a brutal attack, having been sexually assaulted and strangled. Her remains showed signs of having been partially charred.
After years of searching for the perpetrator, authorities announced a breakthrough this week, revealing that they connected the murder to a suspect who was already incarcerated for different offenses, thanks to DNA evidence.
The individual, recognized for often visiting Midlothian Meadows, reportedly resided in an apartment complex where the victim’s cellphone registered a signal.
According to court documents, Patch revealed mysterious text exchanges between him and his girlfriend during a specific time in 2021.
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He reportedly conveyed to her in a message that “something is wrong with him. … It’s simply part of his nature, an uncontrollable aspect of himself, suggesting a darker side or perhaps a malevolent streak.
“He stated he is sick in the head and can’t say anything more,” court documents said the girlfriend told investigators he allegedly told her. “He stated that if he told her she would not love him, and things can be bad, but he doesn’t want things to get bad.”
When asked if he caused harm to anyone, Petrey reportedly replied: “can’t say.”