Authorities have discovered human remains believed to be those of Minelys Zoe Rodriguez-Ramirez, a 25-year-old woman from Cornelia who had been missing since Oct. 22, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
Rodriguez-Ramirez was last seen wearing a blue hoodie and white shorts near a Walmart in Cornelia, investigators said in an Oct. 23 statement. The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office last week reported her missing, with included gym selfies screenshotted from her TikTok, where Rodriguez-Ramirez had amassed 25,000 followers of her fitness journey.
The GBI and Habersham County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, located her remains on Oct. 29, the GBI announced the same day.
Angel DeJesus Rivera-Sanches, 24, also from Cornelia, is expected to face murder charges in connection with Rodriguez-Ramirez’s death, authorities said.
According to the GBI, Rivera-Sanches was arrested in Atlanta on Oct. 28 on kidnapping charges related to Rodriguez-Ramirez’s disappearance. He was transferred to the Habersham County Detention Center.
The Sheriff’s Office said that Rodriguez-Ramirez’s family first reported her missing on October 23, a day after she was last seen. They then requested the GBI’s assistance on October 25, according to the bureau.
The GBI reported that the recovered remains have been sent to their Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy.
In an interview with local news outlet Now Habersham, Rodriguez-Ramirez fiancé Julio Tavor told reporters her last text message to him was unusual and likely sent by someone else.
“I am waiting for the brother to pick him up,” the message read.
Tavor told the news outlet “It didn’t make sense … she doesn’t talk like that.”
He also revealed the 25-year-old was a mother and that she “treasured her daughter.”
According to stories of her past shared on her TikTok, Rodriguez-Ramirez shared how she went to prison at the age of 13 and had a child at the age of 15, who she had to fight for custody.
Her daughter, who is now 9 years old, lives with the child’s father in Puerto Rico, Rodriguez-Ramirez’s family told Now Habersham.
According to her mother, Carmen Ramirez, she moved to the United States from Puerto Rico six years ago after receiving a job offer at a local manufacturer.
Her fiancé Tavor said the last he knew, Rodriguez-Ramirez was headed to Walmart to exchange a photo with someone.
It is unclear if Rodriguez-Ramirez had any connection to Rivera-Sanches or who she was allegedly meeting at Walmart. The GBI didn’t immediately return a request for comment from NTD News.
As the investigation continues, the GBI is urging anyone with information to come forward. Tips can be submitted via phone at 800-597-8477, through the See Something, Send Something mobile app, or online at the GBI’s website.
The GBI stated that once the investigation is complete, the case file will be handed over to the Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.