Person of interest in siblings' disappearance arrested in California

HOUSTON – A man arrested in California is being called a person of interest in the case of two missing Houston-area siblings, police said.

According to authorities, Ramon Escobar, 47, was picked up in Santa Monica in connection with a string of baseball bat attacks that left two homeless people dead and several others seriously injured.

Escobar is now confirmed to be the nephew of Rogelio Escobar, 65, and Dina Escobar, 61, who went missing in late August within days of each other, family members said.

Foul play was taken into consideration after Dina Escobar’s van was found days after her disappearance, burned beyond recognition on a beach in Galveston, police said.

According to police, they have been wanting to talk to the siblings' nephew about his missing aunt and uncle but had been unable to locate him.

“We have been in contact with the Houston, Texas, Police Department’s homicide investigators. They have expressed to us that Ramon Escobar is a person of interest in the late August disappearance of his two relatives, Dina and Rogelio Escobar,” said Capt. William Hayes, of the Los Angeles Police Department.

“From what we can gather, he traveled the Interstate 10 to Los Angeles and what we know now is that he arrived in Los Angeles on Sept. 5,” Hayes said. 

Family members told KPRC 2 Ramon Escobar had been living with Rogelio Escobar at the time of his disappearance.

“Investigators, because, as  ... Mr. Escobar lived with those two individuals, believed him to be a person of interest. They interviewed him Aug. 30, and shortly after that it appears he fled the state of Texas,” Hayes said. 

Dina Escobar’s daughter, Ligia Salamanca, also told KPRC 2 Ramon Escobar is her cousin and Dina and Rogelio Escobar’s nephew.

Salamanca said it was surprising to hear her cousin was in California and arrested in connection with the baseball bat attacks on homeless men.

“I feel very sad that any family has to go through that, and of course it makes me fear for what happened to both my mom and my uncle,” said Salamanca. “There’s a lot of anxiety, a lot of fear. I still want to find my mom and my uncle.”

Ramon Escobar has been arrested on murder charges in connection with the attacks on homeless men and is being held without bond.

The Houston Police Department shared a tweet also confirming that Ramon Escobar is the siblings' nephew and that he is a person of interest in the case.


About the Author:

Daniela Sternitzky-Di Napoli has been a digital news editor at KPRC 2 since 2018. She is a published poet and has background in creative writing and journalism. Daniela has covered events like Hurricane Harvey and the Astros World Series win. In her spare time, Daniela is an avid reader and loves to spend time with her two miniature dachshunds.