GLENDALE, Ariz. — Two men have been taken into custody on suspicion of kidnapping a Valley man and demanding ransom money from his family before killing him, records show.
Ofelio Quintero, 37, and Jose Ruiz, 27, were arrested Monday for charges of murder and kidnapping after Glendale police connected them to the sudden disappearance of a local resident.
On July 25, police received a call from family members of a man who may have been kidnapped and being held for ransom. One relative received a text message demanding 300,000 pesos for the victim's release, court records show.
The family then started to receive videos of the victim gagged and tied up in a closet. The victim's brother told the kidnappers they were unable to get them the ransom.
Investigators were eventually able to trace a telephone number to a specific apartment unit, where the complex's management confirmed that's where Quintero lived. Police walked through the apartment and found a closet resembling the one seen in the ransom videos with the tied-up victim, records show.
Police also reported finding the victim's belongings in the suspect's apartment. It's believed the suspects disposed of the victim's body before they were apprehended, records show.
Quintero and Ruiz were both booked into the Maricopa County jail. They're being held on a $3.5 million bond.
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