Illinois man allegedly sexually assaulted and strangled hiker before partially burning her body

COOK COUNTY, Ill. (TCN) — A 30-year-old man faces charges in connection with the death of a 22-year-old woman who disappeared while walking in a wooded area with her mother in 2020.

According to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Vanessa Ramirez went for a hike in the Midlothian Meadows Forest Preserve on Nov. 2, 2020, and her body was found partially burned two days later. Authorities said she had been sexually assaulted and strangled to death.

WGN-TV reports that Ramirez was walking with her mother and her mother’s friend but went missing after staying behind to tie her shoes. According to documents obtained by the news source, the victim’s mother texted her daughter asking where she was and tried calling multiple times. Ramirez’s blue iMessages turned green after 3:53 p.m.

One of Ramirez’s replies, “ha verdad,” which loosely translates to “for real,” confused the victim’s mother after she said, “We are on our way back.” The mother allegedly responded, “Where are you?” before messaging, “The police are looking for you.”

Officials reportedly found Ramirez’s body in an area in the woods known to locals as “the pits.” Investigators suspect the victim had been bound at some point and was burned after she was fatally strangled.

Detectives later identified Dakota Petrey as the primary suspect. According to WGN, one of Petrey’s family members called in a tip pointing to the suspect, claiming it was something he “would do.” The relative reportedly said they were asked to help move Petrey’s vehicle around the time of Ramirez’s death.

According to deputies, Ramirez’s phone pinged at Petrey’s apartment building shortly after her family reported her missing. Authorities also found Petrey’s DNA at the crime scene and on the victim. He is reportedly “known to frequent Midlothian Meadows.”

The sheriff’s office said they do not believe Petrey and the victim knew each other.

Officials issued a warrant for Petrey on Jan. 16 and arrested him on Jan. 18 after he was released from the Fulton County Jail for separate charges. He had been held there since Oct. 7, 2024.

Petrey faces charges of first-degree murder and aggravated criminal sexual assault.

In a statement, Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart said, “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.”

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