Puerto Rican TikToker kidnapped, murdered by illegal immigrant after she went to Georgia Walmart: police

Angel DeJesus Rivera-Sanchez, 24, who has been charged with the alleged murder and kidnapping of Rodriguez-Ramirez, is reported to be in the United States illegally, according to the Northeast Georgian. State Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell) told the outlet that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) discovered that Rivera-Sanchez has been living illegally in the United States.

“One hundred percent confirmed,” Albers said in a statement. “He is an illegal immigrant from Mexico.” In late October, Rodriguez-Ramirez went missing following a trip to Walmart to exchange a photo with someone, family members said of the fitness influencer. On Oct. 29, police announced that the 25-year-old's body had been found on a road near the Walmart where she was last seen. She had been last seen on October 22 and was reported missing by her family on October 23.

"On Monday, October 28, 2024, GBI agents arrested Rivera-Sanchez in Atlanta on charges of kidnapping related to Rodriguez-Ramirez’s disappearance. Rivera-Sanchez was subsequently taken to the Habersham County Detention Center, where he was booked on the kidnapping charge," a press release from GBI stated.

GBI used phone records in order to locate suspect Rivera-Sanchez, according to Habersham County Sheriff Joey Terrell. The sheriff said that the Department of Homeland Security has placed a detainer on the illegal immigrant, per the outlet.

Terrell said that the immigration status of the suspect will not make a difference in the court system, saying, “They’re not going to get him until the state of Georgia is done with him, which could be 20, 30, 40 years, a lifetime."

Rivera-Sanchez first appeared in court on November 1 at the Habersham County Magistrate Court where he was read the charges of murder and kidnapping. The suspect is currently in custody at the Habersham County Jail and has been denied bail.

Sen. Albers has called for stricter immigration policy in the wake of the killing: "This is avoidable. This person never should have been in this country,” he said. “The evidence is damning. And you know what? This is why a secure border is so important. It’s terrible enough when this happens in America and specifically in Georgia but it’s even worse when someone should not have been here to begin with."

The Puerto Rican TikToker has garnered widespread attention on TikTok for her fitness routines as well as some stories about her nine-year-old daughter. A GoFundMe has been set up by her family for funeral expenses after her death and to transfer her remains back to Puerto Rico where she is from originally. She moved to the mainland of the United States six years ago after scoring a job offer at Mt. Vernon Hills Inc.