Mysterious Death Of 25-Year-Old Man Last Seen Leaving An NYC Bar May Be Tied To A Robbery Ring
Friends of Julio Ramirez suspect he may have been drugged before his death — and he may not be the only victim.
Julio Ramirez via Instagram
Julio Ramirez was a 25-year-old man with a bright future. He had earned a dual master’s degree in public health and social work from the University of Buffalo in 2021. In the spring of 2022, Ramirez was living in Brooklyn, New York, and he was excited about being a mental health counselor in underserved communities, according to PIX11 News.
Ramirez was enjoying a night out on the town in April 2022 when he met up with a friend at a bar in Hell’s Kitchen, a vibrant New York City neighborhood that’s known for its nightlife. Within hours, he would be dead.
NBC News reported that Ramirez left Ritz Bar and Lounge, a popular, multi-level gay bar, around 3:17 a.m. Security footage showed that he walked away from the bar with three unknown men who joined him after he’d been waiting outside for over 10 minutes alone.
They all entered a nearby taxi, but Ramirez’s dead body was alone in the backseat when he was found dead in the early morning hours of April 21, 2022. The cab driver contacted police in Manhattan to report that Ramirez was unresponsive.
In the days and hours after the young man’s death, over $20,000 had been spent on his bank accounts, reported PIX11 News. Within less than a week, his checking and savings accounts were emptied through apps that let you send money electronically like Zelle.
Carlos Ramirez, the victim’s brother, told NBC News, “They had literally taken every dollar that he had, all his savings and all of his money.”
That’s just one of the signs that the mysterious death of Ramirez may be linked to an organized team of men who drug their victims before robbing them of often substantial amounts of money and credit. Carlos thinks that his brother may have been robbed and drugged that night he died in what was a targeted attack.
Karinina Quimpo, Ramirez’s close friend and former college classmate, said there are too many unanswered questions about his death. She and Carlos both think that Julio may have been slipped gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, or GHB, which is widely known as the “date rape drug”.
In the aftermath of Ramirez’s death at least three other people came forward to say they had been drugged and robbed in Hell’s Kitchen, too. A woman even came forward to state that her brother-in-law had died after leaving a New York City bar in a situation that had similarities to Ramirez’s death.
“If this is a pattern, if this is a public safety issue, it’s really important that we continue to talk about this story,” said Quimpo.
