Body of 72-year-old man found in Guánica well after disappearance
Ramón Ramos Guzmán was reported missing on Oct. 6 and his body was recovered Thursday in a pumping station well on the Malecón.
The short version
- El Vocero reported that the body of Ramón Ramos Guzmán, 72, was found in a well near First Shop Mini Market on the Malecón in Guánica on Thursday
- Primera Hora stated the body was recovered around 1 p.m. in the flood-mitigation pumping station well and identified by relatives through clothing and physical features
- Metro Puerto Rico reported he was last seen Tuesday in Barriada La Esperanza, was deaf, and that search efforts involved municipal emergency management, police and family
- Police said the CIC Homicide Division from Ponce responded to the scene and the medical examiner will determine cause of death
Discovery of the body
The search for Ramón Ramos Guzmán, 72, ended on Thursday, Oct. 8 when his body was found in a well that is part of the pumping system on the Malecón in Guánica. El Vocero reported the discovery occurred near the First Shop Mini Market. According to Primera Hora, municipal personnel discharging water from the flood-mitigation system spotted the body floating around 1 p.m. Rescue personnel from the Oficina Municipal para el Manejo de Emergencias and police recovered it.
Relatives confirmed the identity through the clothing and physical features. Metro Puerto Rico reported that Ramos Guzmán had been missing since Tuesday after he was last seen at his residence in Barriada La Esperanza. His niece Waleska Santiago Ramos had reported him missing; she told authorities he was deaf and unable to speak.
Police response
Guánica district police received the missing-person alert on Oct. 6 at approximately 2:22 p.m., El Vocero reported. The CIC Homicide Division from Ponce, led by Lt. Félix Guilbe Lugo, responded along with the on-duty prosecutor. Agent Elmer Rodríguez Vega is handling the investigation under the supervision of Sgt. Ariel Cordero and CIC Ponce Director Inspector Daniel Justiniano Mercado.
The body was to be transported to the Instituto de Ciencias Forenses for an autopsy, with the prosecutor ordering the removal. Circumstances surrounding the discovery and the cause of death remain under investigation, according to the preliminary police report.
Where the sources differ
All sources agree that Ramón Ramos Guzmán, 72, was found dead in a well/pumping station in Guánica on Thursday after being reported missing on Oct. 6. El Vocero and Primera Hora give the precise location as the Malecón pumping well and note the CIC Ponce response. Primera Hora and Metro Puerto Rico add that he was deaf and without speech and that family identified him. Metro Puerto Rico says he was last seen Tuesday while Primera Hora specifies the morning of Oct. 6 from street 3 in Barriada Esperanza. El Vocero gives the alert time as 2:22 p.m. on the 6th; other sources do not conflict but vary slightly on descriptive details.
What the reports do not say
The reports do not state the cause of death, whether the death was ruled accidental, a suicide or a homicide, or if any signs of trauma were visible. They provide no timeline of when the man entered the well, whether anyone witnessed him near the site, or what immediate steps authorities will take beyond the autopsy and ongoing investigation.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Reporting Hallan muerto a septuagenario en pozo de Guánica
- Reporting Hallan sin vida en un pozo a adulto mayor desaparecido en Guánica
- Reporting Hallan sin vida a hombre de 72 años reportado desaparecido en Guánica
How we checked this
El Vocero, Primera Hora and Metro Puerto Rico reported the discovery and identification of the body. Details of the police investigation rest primarily on the account given to El Vocero while the description of the pumping station and family confirmation appear only in Primera Hora.
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from the reports and statements listed above, and checked against them before publishing. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Email support@puertorico.com with a link to this story.