UPDATE: May 14, 2023 – Nine of the 12 suspects in the April 2021 murder of Rossano Delgado of Bethlehem have plead guilty. The trial was set to begin on May 1, 2023 but the nine opted to enter guilty pleas instead.
The three remaining suspects are still at large. They are:
- Mario Alberto Barbosa-Juarez
- Carolina Jazmin Rodriguez Ramirez
- Maria Katherine Encarnacion
Anyone with information is asked to contact the GBI. Tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
According to the Geeorgia Bureau of Investigation, “on April 16, 2021, Rossano Delgado was lured to a shopping mall in Dekalb County and abducted by associates of a drug trafficking organization. Over the next few days, she was tortured and ultimately brutally murdered in a cabin in Gilmer County, GA.
GBI Agents and other law enforcement partners have worked diligently to gather evidence in this very complex and “tragic case.”
“As a result of their work, several people were identified, located, and arrested—three of which were apprehended in Mexico and extradited to the United States. Nine of those indicted pleaded guilty prior to the trial,” GBI noted in the press release.
UPDATE
3 other suspects remain at large
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced the eighth arrest in the murder of Rossana Delgado, 37, of Bethlehem, who went missing from Dekalb County on April 16, 2021, after telling her husband she was picking up a fare in an Atlanta suburb. The mother of two was found dead on April 20 in North Georgia. The subsequent investigation has led to a slew of arrests, but other suspects are still not in custody.
GBI announced the latest arrest on July 3, noting that working in partnership with the United States Marshal’s Service (USMS) Atlanta and San Diego, the transfer of Juan Ayala-Rodriguez, 35, to US custody was coordinated. Rodriguez was arrested in Durango, Mexico on Saturday, June 26, 2021. The USMS-San Diego and Customs and Border Protection oversaw the transfer of Rodriguez to USMS custody and subsequent detention at a California facility. Rodriguez is pending extradition to Georgia to face murder charges.
“USMS and the United States Department of Homeland Security (HSI) have worked diligently to assist the GBI and the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office in this case and in this arrest. The GBI and the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office are very grateful for the support and efforts of the USMS, HSI and all agencies involved in effecting this arrest,” the GBI noted in an updated press release.
The GBI and the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office continue to actively investigate this case and the individuals involved in the murder. Three other suspects in this murder remain at large. A coordinated effort to locate and arrest , Mario Alberto Barbosa-Juarez, Carolina Jazmin Rodriguez-Ramirez and Maria Chavez is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the GBI. Tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
Update
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation reports that a murder warrant has been issued for Carolina Jazmin Rodriguez-Ramirez, 28, of Oklahoma, for her alleged involvement in the murder of Rossana Delgado. Investigators have identified Rodriguez-Ramirez as the woman with Rossana Delgado, of Bethlehem, in the Ross and Mercado Fresco video previously released in this case. Her location is currently unknown, but she is believed to be in Mexico with at least one other suspect, Mario Alberto Barbosa-Juarez. Additional charges are anticipated.
Update
On Saturday, May 15, 2021, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, working in partnership with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Atlanta, HSI Harlingen, Texas and Attaché Matamoros, Mexico coordinated the arrests of Megan Colone, 30, and Oscar Manuel Garcia, 26, suspects in the murder of Rossana Delgado, of Bethlehem. A fifth suspect (previously identified in news releases by photographs) was located with Oscar Manuel Garcia and was identified as Juan Antonio Vega, 25 and a warrant was also taken for him in the murder of Rossana Delgado. Vega is a Cobb County resident. Georgia Bureau of Investigation said all three suspects were apprehended in Mexico and returned to the United States, and are currently in a Texas detention facility awaiting extradition to HSI Harlingen and Customs and Border Patrol oversaw the transport of the suspects to Texas detention facilities. All three are pending extradition proceedings to Georgia to face murder charges. Colone’s children were safely returned to the United States during these arrest operations.
The GBI and the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office continue to actively investigate this case and the individuals involved in the murder of Rossana Delgado. A coordinated effort to locate and arrest the other two murder suspects, Juan Ayala-Rodriguez and Mario Alberto Barbosa-Juarez, is active and ongoing. Anyone with information as to the identity of the woman pictured in previous news releases are asked to contact the GBI. Tips can be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
More arrests expected in this case
Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced that Calvin Harvard, 28, of Covington, has been arrested and charged with tampering with evidence and theft by receiving stolen property. This arrest is connected to the murder of Rosanna Delgardo, 37, of Bethlehem. Additional charges are expected against Harvard, and additional arrests are anticipated.
A white Ford F150 and white Buick Regal belonging to two of the five suspects in the murder of Rossana Delgado and Delgado’s red Ford Focus have been recovered. All three vehicles are being processed for evidence in this investigation.
Five suspects remain at large.
Anyone with information is asked to call the GBI Tipline at 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), report the information online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online or by downloading the mobile app, See Something Send Something.
Initial Story
Barrow County Sheriff’s Office recently shared a missing person poster for Rossana Delgado, 37, of Bethlehem. She had been reported missing after last being seen on April 16 in Dekalb County. According to a press release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, a body was discovered in Gilmer County on April 20 during a welfare check at a residence in Cherry Log, Ga. That victim has since been identified as the missing Bethlehem woman.
Murder warrants have been issued for four suspects in this murder that is believed to have happened on April 20. A fifth suspect remains unidentified. The suspects that are wanted in connection with this murder are Megan Alyssa Colone, 30, of Stone Mountain, GA, Juan Ayala-Rodriguez, 35, of Gainesville, GA, Oscar Manuel Garcia, 26, of Austell, GA, and Mario Alberto Barbosa-Juarez, 29, of Oklahoma City, OK. It is believed that all of these suspects may no longer be in Georgia. Colone may be traveling under the alias Grace Beda and is believed to be traveling with her minor children. Authorities nationwide have been alerted about these individuals.
Efforts are being made to identify the fifth suspect in this case. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Colone, Ayala-Rodriguez, Garcia, or Barbosa-Juarez is asked to call the GBI Tipline at 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), report the information online athttps://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online or by downloading the mobile app, See Something Send Something. If you see any of these individuals, do not approach them. Call 911 immediately.
This investigation is still very active and t GBI and the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office continue to coordinate with the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office, the DeKalb County Police Department, and the Chamblee Police Department, as well as multiple state, local, and federal agencies to locate the suspects and hold those responsible accountable.
The autopsy results are pending. Upon completion of this investigation, the file will be provided to the Appalachian Judicial Circuit District Attorney for prosecution.
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