Santa Ana : Police Seek Clues in Baffling Murder Case

Police are distributing a photograph of Norma Isela Ramirez, a 14-year-old Willard Junior High School student who was brutally murdered last Memorial Day, in an effort to turn up information in the baffling case.

Norma was last seen leaving her home at 10:30 p.m. May 26 wearing a white, long-sleeved sweatshirt with an Olympic decal, blue jeans and white sandals. Her body was found by a passer-by early the next morning on a bike trail by the Santa Ana River in Alona Park.

The murder appears to have taken place at the location where Norma’s body was discovered. She had been “viciously attacked by someone wielding a sharp, heavy cutting instrument,” according to police.

Police Department spokeswoman Maureen Thomas said that detectives have interviewed scores of people in the case but have no solid leads. She said the slaying is being given “top-priority status” that will continue “until the case is eventually solved.”

Efforts are under way to raise reward money for anyone providing information leading to an arrest and conviction, Thomas said. Any information should be given to homicide detectives at (714) 834-4230.