CHICAGO — Dakota Petrey, 30, from central Illinois, has been charged with the first-degree murder and aggravated criminal sexual assault in the brutal death of 22-year-old Vanessa Ceja Ramirez, whose body was found in the Midlothian Meadows Forest Preserve in November 2020.
Ramirez had been reported missing two days before her body was discovered. An autopsy revealed that she had been strangled, and her body had been partially burned, showing evidence of sexual assault. Investigators worked tirelessly on the case, ultimately identifying Petrey as the primary suspect.
At the time Ramirez disappeared, Petrey lived in an Oak Forest apartment, which was near the location where Ramirez’s phone had pinged shortly before her family reported her missing. Detectives later executed search warrants and submitted evidence for DNA testing, which confirmed that Petrey’s DNA was found on Ramirez’s body and at the crime scene.
Petrey was known to frequent the Midlothian Meadows Forest Preserve, although there is no evidence that he and Ramirez were acquainted. After months of investigation, Petrey was arrested on Saturday after being released from the Fulton County Jail in Lewistown, where he had been held on unrelated charges since October.
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart commented on the case: “This heinous crime is every parent’s worst nightmare. It took years of tireless work by our police detectives to investigate this case, but we never gave up on finding Vanessa’s killer and seeking justice for her and her family.”
Petrey appeared in court on Sunday, where he was ordered detained until his trial. He is due back in court on Wednesday. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities seek justice for Ramirez.
