Homeless man arrested after woman's remains found in fire along California creek

SAN PABLO, Calif. (TCN) -- A 35-year-old man who police describe as transient is in custody on suspicion of killing a woman whose body was found in a fire along a creek.

According to the San Pablo Police Department, on Tuesday, July 2, Contra Costa Fire personnel extinguished the flames along the San Pablo Creek and found a deceased individual with severe burns. They notified police, who then responded to the scene.

Investigators were initially unable to identify the victim due to her condition. An autopsy later revealed the victim died of blunt force trauma to the head, and her death was ruled a homicide. Investigators suspect the victim was also transient, and they believe she was around 40 years old at the time of her death.

Police identified William Ramirez as a person of interest and took him into custody on July 11 on charges of murder and arson. Officers said they "subsequently recovered evidence linking" him to the crime.

Ramirez remains held in the Contra Costa County Jail pending filing of formal charges from the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office. His bail was set at $1.25 million.