Houston Woman Found Dead in Barrel, Family Cites Domestic Violence

The body of 41 year old Christelrose Angel Ramirez was discovered Wednesday morning in the Greenspoint area, according to Houston Police. Authorities say the case is being investigated as a homicide, and family members have since confirmed that Ramirez was a victim of domestic violence.

Relatives told FOX 26 that Ramirez was shot while she was asleep. They say her body was then placed inside trash bags and moved into a barrel that was later dumped along the side of I 45. Police have identified Jesus Varela as the suspect and confirmed that he has been charged in connection with her death.

Varela is currently facing multiple charges, including tampering with evidence with a bond set at 200,000 dollars. He is also charged with assault against a family member with a 40,000 dollar bond, as well as unlawful restraint with a 5,000 dollar bond. A bond amount has not yet been released for the murder charge.

Ramirez’s family said they became deeply concerned after not hearing from her for 11 days. Her father, Ricardo Ramirez, said he knew something was wrong when she stopped posting on Facebook, something he described as completely out of character for her.

“She didn’t deserve to die the way she did because she was a beautiful young lady,” Ricardo Ramirez said. “She had her whole life ahead of her. I’m going to bring her home.” The family has since created a GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses, while continuing to seek justice for Christelrose, who they say had been in an on and off relationship with Varela since 2019 and had recently expressed fears about her safety.