What to Know
- The cause and manner of death of a beloved social worker who was found dead in a taxi nearly a year ago on April 21, 2022 after a night out has been revealed.
- According to the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office, Julio Ramirez’s cause of death was determined to be “acute intoxication from the combined effects of fentanyl, p-fluorofentanyl, heroin, cocaine, lidocaine, and ethanol.” His manner of death was classified as “homicide” due to a “drug-facilitated robbery.”
- Ramírez, 25, met up with a friend on the night of April 20 to go out in the Manhattan neighborhood. After bar hopping, his last stop was the Ritz, a popular multi-level gay venue in the heart of Restaurant Row.
NEW YORK — The cause and manner of death has been revealed for a beloved social worker who was found dead in a taxi nearly a year ago on April 21, 2022, after a night out.
According to the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office, Julio Ramirez’s cause of death was determined to be “acute intoxication from the combined effects of fentanyl, p-fluorofentanyl, heroin, cocaine, lidocaine, and ethanol.” His manner of death was classified as “homicide” due to a “drug-facilitated robbery.”
Ramirez last seen outside the Ritz Bar and Lounge on West 46th Street in Hell’s Kitchen in the early morning of April 21, 2022.
Ramírez, 25, met up with a friend on the night of April 20 to go out in the Manhattan neighborhood. After bar hopping, his last stop was the Ritz, a popular multi-level gay venue in the heart of Restaurant Row.
The two eventually went their separate ways. Surveillance footage from a nearby security camera showed Ramírez leaving the scene with three unidentified men at 3:17 am, according to his brother, Carlos.
The four men then got into a nearby taxi, a police source said, but Ramirez was alone in the back seat at 4:10 a.m. when the driver approached a police officer 3 miles away on the Lower East Side. to tell him that his passenger was not responding.
Less than an hour later, Ramírez was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
The medical examiner’s office says a preliminary toxicology evaluation found nothing of immediate significance, but noted that more testing was required. Now, however, those additional tests revealed something ominous, according to the medical examiner’s findings.
Ramirez was initially identified as “John Doe,” his brother said, because neither his wallet nor his phone were with him when he died and therefore authorities did not know his identity.
The family told our sister network NBC New York earlier that the unknown men in the cab took Ramirez’s phone, changed his password and then stole $20,000 from his bank account.
“Julio was someone very loved. I think all this is suspicious. And I hope that we will have answers soon,” said friend Karinina Quimpo. “Getting into a cab with a bunch of strangers, just giving away his phone, potentially giving away his belongings, it’s just not like him.”
Those who took part in a demonstration to draw attention to the case last summer said they feared he would be attacked in a gay bar for mysterious reasons. They are concerned that he may have been victimized for being gay.
“It’s very heartbreaking,” Sam Carnicelli said. “It was not a random act.”
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
