MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) — The Office of Chief Medical Examiner officially ruled Friday that Julio Ramirez, a social worker from Brooklyn, and John Umberger, a political consultant from Washington, D.C., were both homicide victims after being drugged while leaving gay nightclubs in Hell’s Kitchen last year.
The cause of death listed for Julio Ramirez, 25, was acute intoxication by the combined effects of fentanyl, p-fluoro fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, lidocaine, and ethanol. The manner of death was a homicide; the medical examiner wrote: a drug-facilitated theft.
John Umberger, 33, who was visiting New York City in late May, died with the same drugs in his system, and the medical examiner said he was also a homicide victim in a drug-facilitated theft. Umberger had about $23,000 cleared out of his account. His body was found on June 1 inside his boss’ East Side townhouse, four days after Umberger left The Q Club on Eighth Avenue. His mother, Linda Clary, said surveillance footage showed him sandwiched between two men when leaving the club and getting into a car.
Ramirez was the son of immigrants from El Salvador, and he’d graduated from the University of Buffalo with a dual Master’s degree in social work and public health.
The NYPD chief of detectives said earlier this year that close to 30 club druggings that may have involved six deaths were being investigated.
Kenwood Allen was charged with murder in two drug-related deaths that happened in downtown Manhattan. Additionally, he’s been linked to two other deaths where victims were dumped in the Bronx.
No suspects have been named in the deaths of Ramirez and Umberger.
Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
