On the evening of January 12, 2025, 26-year-old Nairelis Junior Castel was found with a gunshot wound in the 1400 block of Kendall Street in Lakewood, Colorado, about a block from the Casa Bonita restaurant. First responders took her to a nearby hospital around 8:00 p.m., but she died of her injuries.

Lakewood police say investigators identified two people who were acquainted with Castel. A 25-year-old woman, Flor Contreras, was arrested on January 17 on suspicion of complicity to commit first-degree murder. The second suspect, 27-year-old Menelson Leonel Ramirez of Aurora, fled the state; a warrant was issued for first-degree murder and he was later located and arrested in Megargel, Texas and is awaiting extradition to Colorado.

Police have said the shooting does not appear connected to Venezuelan gang activity, and no clear motive has been publicly released. If anyone knew Nairelis Junior Castel, her movements that evening, or has information about the people involved, please share what you know.