By F. Scott Faulkner
Ventura County, CA — An Oxnard man was arrested Saturday in connection with the homicide of a woman found dead in Meiners Oaks, just north of the City of Ventura.
Detectives identified 29-year-old Ricardo Ortega of Oxnard as the suspect. Ortega and the victim were known to each other prior to the killing.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Detective Erik Hernandez, at 4:09 p.m. on February 28, Ventura County Sheriff’s Dispatch received a report of “an unresponsive female inside a garage.”
Deputies from the Ojai Patrol Station promptly responded to the location, determined that the unresponsive female had been the victim of violence and confirmed that she was deceased.
The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office arrived on the scene and determined the woman had “sustained trauma.” Based on evidence collected at the location, investigators classified the case as a homicide.
Detectives from the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau, Ojai Station, Crime Scene Investigations Unit and multiple other specialized task forces conducted an investigation.
On March 1, members of the Ventura West County Special Enforcement Unit made contact with Ortega in the City of Oxnard and took him into custody. He was transported to the Ventura County Jail and booked on a charge of murder. He remains in custody on a no-bail hold.
