PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Prince William County Police Department is continuing to investigate after a missing man was revealed to have allegedly been murdered by two suspects during a drug deal in Woodbridge.
Jose Abelino Guerrero, 20, of Woodbridge was reported missing on Dec. 21, 2022, after he was last seen leaving his residence on Lost Canyon Court around 8 p.m. At the time, police reported there were no indications the victim was missing under suspicious circumstances.
On Dec. 23, 2022, officers found Guerrero’s vehicle unoccupied in the area of Bel Air Road and Jeffries Road. According to police, there was evidence of a struggle and blood was found causing investigators to upgrade the missing report to “endangered.”
Over the following weeks, multiple searches were conducted and leads were followed in an effort to find Guerrero. Detectives identified two persons of interest — now identified as 19-year-old Olvin Daniel Argueta Ramirez of Woodbridge and a 17-year-old male juvenile of Woodbridge — in connection to his disappearance, according to police.
A search warrant was executed in the 14100 block of Matthews Drive, leading to the arrest of the two suspects. Ramirez was charged with murder and stabbing in the commission of a felony. The 17-year-old was charged with murder and robbery.
Police said the investigation revealed Guerrero and the suspects had arranged to meet for a drug deal on Dec. 21, 2022. During the transaction, a fight occurred that resulted in Guerrero being stabbed multiple times. The suspects then drove his body to Prince George’s County in Maryland to dispose of his body, according to police.
On Jan. 19, 2023, detectives coordinated with Maryland authorities to find and recover a body — believed to be Guerrero’s — which has now been transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy and confirmation of identity.
Prince William County Police Department did confirm that the victim was killed in 2022, making it the 20th homicide for the county in 2022.
