MEAD VALLEY: 3 arrested for murder connected with Riverside missing person investigation
Samuel Galvan, 28, had been missing since Sept. 11, according to Riverside police officials.
MEAD VALLEY – Very few details have been released after human remains were found on a private, residential property in the 21800 block of Old Elsinore Road, in the unincorporated area of Mead Valley. However, according to court documents, the discovery of the remains are connected to an At-Risk missing adult investigation that Riverside police officials have been conducting since early September.
The missing adult, identified as 28-year-old Samuel Joel Galvan, was last seen Sunday, Sept. 11, when he left his house in the Orangecrest neighborhood of Riverside.
Galvan, who reportedly had difficulty sleeping at night and was known to take late-night trips to local stores, reportedly left his residence around 2 a.m. and never returned home. Galvan’s car was located in Corona five days after his disappearance.
Following investigative leads, Riverside police officials served a search warrant at the Old Elsinore Road residence. They were assisted by deputies and investigators from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Perris Station.
During the service of the search warrant, officials located human remains on the property at which time the sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit assumed the investigation.
“The remains have not been identified as (Galvan’s),” according to Riverside County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Deputy Mike Vasquez, who said DNA tests need to be conducted, the results of which will not be available for up to several months.
However, Superior Court records filed Oct. 18 showed the cases are connected and that Galvan’s tortured and burned body was found in a field in the area of Old Elsinore Road and Orange Avenue. The same area where two of the three suspects were arrested.
The three alleged suspects, identified as Angel Christopher Acosta, 29; Gabriela Rangelayala, 41; and Raymundo Ortega Ramirez, 32; all residents of Mead Valley, were arrested for murder and other charges related to the found human remains. All three were booked into custody at the Southwest Detention Center, according to Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Walter Mendez.
A jail record search revealed Acosta was arrested on Nuevo Road in Perris at 6:35 p.m. on Oct. 14. He was booked into jail the following day on suspicion of murder, murder with malice, possession of forged documents and false impersonation of another for financial gain.
Ayala was arrested in an open field off Old Elsinore Road near Orange Street in Perris at about 3 p.m. on Oct. 14. She was booked into jail the following day on suspicion of murder, murder with malice, and two prior state prison enhancements.
Ramirez was also arrested in the open field off Old Elsinore Road near Orange Street in Perris at about 3 p.m. on Oct. 14. He was booked into jail the following day on suspicion of murder, murder with malice, and 5 counts related to prior prison enhancements.
Riverside Superior Court records showed the District Attorney’s office filed the charge of murder with the special circumstances of inflicting torture and intentional murder against all three suspects. Court records listed Galvan as the victim. The date of the crime was listed as Sept. 11, the day he was seen leaving his residence.
The case file referenced in the court records was Riverside Police Department’s file number P16176711.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call Investigator Sean Dusek of the Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit at (760) 393-3522. Callers can refer to incident file number PC162880019 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s Homicide Tipline online form.
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Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, Personnel and Background Investigations and he finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator.
Trevor has been married for more than 26 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and has 13 children and 12 – soon to be 13 – grandchildren.