Provo man charged with killing his aunt in Salem

SALEM, Utah County — A Provo man is accused of killing his aunt at her home in Salem.

Isaiah Christopher Ramos, 26, was charged Thursday in 4th District Court with murder and obstruction of justice, first-degree felonies; and aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult, a second-degree felony.

On Aug. 31, Ramos called 911 to report is aunt, 70-year-old Carla Anderson, was unresponsive, according to charging documents. Emergency dispatchers told Ramos to start CPR. But when police arrived at the home near 900 South and 900 West, "officers found Carla's body to be stiff and cold to the touch.

"There was blood on Carla's face around her mouth, nose, and on a pillow that was still leaning on the headboard. Throughout the house, officers observed that many drawers were open, giving the impression that the house had been ransacked," charging documents continued. "However, officers also noted that there were other expensive valuables such as Louis Vuitton bags, cash, checks, a cell phone, and even gold coins that were left behind."

As officers searched the home, they found "estate planning documents showing Isaiah as a 50% beneficiary of Carla's estate," the charges state. Police also talked to family members who said "Isaiah stands to receive great pecuniary gain from this inheritance as a result of her death."

Ramos told investigators he arrived at his aunt's home on Aug. 27 and left on Aug. 30 to go on a road trip in his modified freightliner bus with his motorcycle attached to the rear. When he returned on Aug. 31, Ramos said he found Anderson's body, according to charging documents.

"During the interview, police noticed scratches on Isaiah's forearms that appeared to be consistent with defensive wounds. When asked, Isaiah told officers that they were due to eczema," the charges state.

Detectives also searched FLOCK cameras for Ramos' vehicle to verify his story. Several cameras recorded Ramos' modified freightliner bus "that were consistent with Isaiah's account of the events" of him leaving on a road trip, the charges state.

However, another camera had a "hit" on his motorcycle in Santaquin early on Aug. 31, according to the charges.

"Isaiah was initially asked about the FLOCK hit on his motorcycle in Santaquin but did not have an explanation," prosecutors state in their charges.

When the bus returned to Salem, the motorcycle was attached to the rear again, police say.

A police booking affidavit further states, "Isaiah stated that he was alone in his bus all night and no one was with him. This is obviously not the truth as the motorcycle is on scene leaving and returning and ends up back on the bus. This places Isaiah in Salem at the time of death."

An autopsy conducted on Sept. 1 found "injuries are consistent with strangulation," according to the charges. "The medical examiner also estimated the time of death to roughly coincide with the time that Isaiah would have been at the house based on the FLOCK camera hits. The autopsy also revealed material under Carla's fingernails. The nails were clipped as part of the autopsy, and DNA testing is currently pending."

Related topics