Press Releases

Billy Creek Murder
April 19, 2008

Detectives are still working  to find a motive and a suspect in the 2007 murder of a man gunned down in the home he’d lived in for only a few days.

A bold, brutal attack during broad daylight has left a Lee County family desperate for answers, and detectives trying to figure out why someone would kill a quiet man in his 20s – whose only known past time was playing music at area churches.

“It’s very frustrating because somebody has got to know something," said Sgt. Joe Barley.

On May 16th, Andres Ramirez Mendez, Jr. rode his bicycle home from work around 2:30 in the afternoon. Two hours later, his cousin found him murdered from a violent attack, shot to death by an unknown assailant.

"The door was open, appeared to be forcible entry – went in, found his cousin on the floor and he was cold to the touch,” Barley said.

The part that has detectives stumped is the fact that a man could be brutally murdered in his own home, in the middle of the afternoon, and in the middle of a busy neighborhood – yet nobody claims to have seen a thing. Detectives say residents need to put their fears of getting involved aside – and tell what they know to help get a killer of the streets.

"You’ve got somebody who did this – and it was brutal. And you’ve got someone capable of doing this and I wouldn’t want them in my community,” Barley said.

Barley says potential witnesses may be leery of coming forward because they could be here illegally. But he hopes residents living in the neighborhood will consider the fact that a man is dead and a murderer is on the loose. The identity of anyone providing information on this homicide will be protected – whether they’re legal residents or illegal aliens.

“I don’t care. I just want to know. I just want to know who this person is who killed this young man – that’s all I care about & bring them to justice. That’s all I care about,” Barley said.

Anyone with information on the May 16th murder of Andres Ramirez Mendez is encouraged to call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-780-TIPS (8477). All callers will remain anonymous and will be eligible for up to $1,000 in cash rewards. Tips may also be made online at www.swflcrimestoppers.org.