Slayings of women at Spring home stun
Authorities say man living with grandmother and great-grandmother grew ‘tired of them’
Jaryd Ramos was supposed to be caring for his 90-year-old great-grandmother, Regina Gormley, who suffered from heart issues, arthritis and diabetes.
He moved in with her and his grandmother, 59-year-old Barbara Gormley, around July at their Spring home. Nothing appeared to be amiss, said family member James Gormley, who often visited. Ramos was never violent, he said.
Then, on Nov. 5, Ramos grew “tired of them” and strangled his elders, according to Lt. Scott Spencer of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
“I’m at a loss,” said James Gormley, Barbara’s brother and Ramos’ great-uncle. “I don’t understand. How could anyone understand?”
Ramos, 22, was arrested Tuesday on a capital murder charge more than a month after their deaths — a “horrific and troubling” crime that investigators believe was premeditated, Spencer said.
Ramos confessed to the killings during an interview with investigators, Spencer said. He told detectives that, 20 days after the slayings, he placed Barbara’s body in a tote bag and dropped it off near a church in Spring. Authorities also found Regina’s body in a trash can in the backyard.
“What the hell did he come here for?” James Gormley said. “If he’s tired of them, then he’s a freeloader.”
Ramos is being held without bond at the Montgomery County Jail. It’s unclear whether he’s retained an attorney or had one appointed by the court.
Authorities initially described
Ramos as a Philadelphia-area man who for months had been living with his two relatives. James Gormley said Ramos actually grew up in New Jersey with his mother. Most recently, Ramos lived in Louisiana before he moved to Montgomery County, James said. He worked as an electrician for a time but most recently was unemployed, James said.
James Gormley reported the relatives missing on Nov. 18 after several days trying to reach them, he said. The previous week, Ramos claimed that both women were in the hospital. Gormley grew more suspicious as the days wore on.
“My sister always called me back,” he said.
Deputies on Sunday uncovered Barbara’s body behind the church on Westview Road near Budde Road in south Montgomery County. They later linked the missing persons report to the death, and their investigation led detectives to the relatives’ home in the 24300 block of Kingbriar Drive.
They spoke to Ramos and were allowed to search the property. That’s when detectives uncovered Regina’s body, Spencer said.
“This is a very horrific and very troubling crime during the (holiday) season and our thoughts and prayers are with the Gormley family and their friends,” Spencer said.
Spencer added that Ramos took steps to alleviate the problems that come with a decomposing body, such as the smell.
“He had done a lot of research and a lot of careful planning into what he had decided to do with the bodies,” he said.
This was not the first time Ramos stayed with Regina, James said. He lived with his greatgrandmother in 2017 for several months before he made his way back to New Jersey.
James Gormley described the dead women as easygoing, and neither appeared to have a problem with Ramos, he said.
“Everything seemed to be hunky-dory,” James said.
James doesn’t know why Ramos moved back earlier this year. He “just showed up,” James said.
Details of a possible motive are still unclear. Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon confirmed that Ramos is eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
“The investigation is still moving forward and it would be premature to discuss disposition at this point,” Ligon said.