Woman's Body Found Dumped in Barrel by Side of Highway After She Was Allegedly Shot in Her Sleep: Reports By Becca Longmire

The family of a woman is speaking out after her body was found in a barrel dumped by the side of a highway in Texas.

On the morning of Wednesday, Dec. 10, Houston Police discovered the body of Christelrose Angel Ramirez, 41, in the Greenspoint area, according to Fox 26 Houston.

The victim’s family alleged to the outlet that she was a victim of domestic violence. Investigators said she was shot in her sleep before being placed in trash bags and put into a barrel before being left off the side of the Interstate 45 highway, Ramirez’s family members told the outlet.

Investigators alleged in court proceedings that Ramirez’s boyfriend, Jesus Varela, is suspected of killing her, per KPRC 2 and Fox 26 Houston.

According to Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) jail records seen by PEOPLE, Varela, 48, is due to appear in court on Monday, Dec. 15, after being charged with murder. 

He’s also facing multiple other charges, including tampering with evidence — human corpse, assault of a family member, and unlawful restraint, per the online records.

Varela’s bond is set at $200,000 for the tampering with evidence charge, $40,000 for the assault against a family member charge, and $5,000 for the unlawful restraint charge. It doesn’t appear that a bond amount is available for the murder charge, according to the records.

Ramirez’s father, Ricardo Ramirez, said he knew something was wrong when his daughter stopped posting on Facebook, according to Fox 26 Houston. The family said they hadn’t heard from her in 11 days.

The outlet reported that Ramirez’s killing is believed to have occurred on Dec. 1, citing court documents. Court documents also stated that Varela had been arrested by Houston Police on Dec. 6 after authorities learned that a family member allegedly claimed Varela assaulted him and said he’d kill him if he did not help hide the body, the publication noted.

“She didn’t deserve to die the way she did because she was a beautiful young lady. I mean, she had her life in front of her,” Ricardo said of his daughter, per Fox 26 Houston.

Ricardo said that he “sensed her death was soon,” telling the publication that his daughter and Varela had been on and off since 2019.

Ricardo questioned, “Why? Why did you have to do this? Just let her go. She’s not going to be with you, okay? Move on,” per Fox 26 Houston.

Ricardo added to KPRC 2 of his daughter’s death, “Right now, I feel anger, I feel depressed, I feel, you know, like it doesn’t happen, it ain’t real. I just cry every day. I cry in the morning, I cry at night.”

Ramirez’s aunt, Maggie Ramirez, told the outlet, “She didn’t deserve this. She helped the whole world. She helped strangers.”

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A GoFundMe page set up by a family member said of Ramirez, “We are heartbroken by the circumstances surrounding her passing, and our family is struggling to cope with this unimaginable loss.” 

“Her father and sister had the painful task of identifying her, and now her father is left without the financial means to give her the peaceful resting place she deserves,” the message continued.

“We are asking for support to help cover her funeral expenses so she can be laid to rest next to her mother. All prayers and any contributions, big or small, would be deeply appreciated as we work to honor her memory with a proper burial,” the message stated.

The GoFundMe page alleged that the victim “lost her life in a tragic act of domestic violence.”

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The Houston Police Department, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information. PEOPLE has also attempted to contact Ramirez’s family for a tribute, but didn’t immediately receive a response.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.