Document text
57 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, May 7, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 7, 2005 OSP thinks murder suspect got ride Detectives also travel to California, where they believe he has gone By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune Investigators believe a motorist unknowingly helped a murder suspect flee the Ashland area earlier this week after the killing of a Medford woman whose body was found alongside Interstate 5. Detectives want to speak with the person who may have given Jose Perez-Silva a ride from the scene of the crime to his home in the 100 block of Fern Valley Road in Phoenix, Oregon State Police Lt. Gregg Hastings said Friday. Hastings said Perez-Silva, 29, was seen in Phoenix at about 7:15 a.m. Tuesday, approximately 75 minutes after victim Ana Meraz made an urgent 9-1-1 call requesting medical assistance. Meraz was severely injured when OSP troopers arrived to find her lying beside her idling Chrysler convertible on the freeway’s southbound shoulder near milepost 11. Perez-Silva’s home is about 13 miles from the spot where Meraz, 32, was found. Detectives believe it would have been nearly impossible for the Phoenix man to cover that distance on foot in just 75 minutes, Hastings said. Investigators have no reason to believe anyone else conspired with Perez-Silva to kill Meraz, Hastings said. Advertisement Police so far have declined to say how exactly Meraz was killed. Investigators believe she and Perez-Silva may have had a previous relationship, but were not romantically involved at the time of her death. Hastings said detectives from the Jackson County Major Crime Team traveled Friday to central California as part of the homicide investigation. Police suspect Perez-Silva drove to California in a green 1985 Nissan Pathfinder after returning to his home Tuesday morning. He is considered armed and dangerous. Meanwhile, about 25 members of the Jackson County sheriff’s search and rescue team on Friday assisted OSP detectives in a search of the area surrounding the spot where Meraz’s body was discovered. OSP Detective Dave Beck said the three-hour search did not turn up any evidence specific to the investigation. Crime Stoppers of Southern Oregon has offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of Perez-Silva. Anyone wishing to provide information about the suspect’s location can call 800-3-DETECT. Callers can remain anonymous. People with information about the case are also asked to phone OSP at 776-6111. Reach reporter Jack Moran at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Paris Hilton Online Poker Auto Insurance Mesothelioma Slippers Student Loans Tatoo tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoos Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Payday Loans Advertisement s