Document text
51 °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 6, 2005 Manhunt continues for suspect in I-5 killing Investigators search for Perez-Silva in California; victim’s employer will reach out to Meraz’s family coming from Mexico By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune Detectives from several Jackson County police agencies are traveling out-of-state today in an attempt to locate a Phoenix man suspected of killing a Medford woman alongside Interstate 5 earlier this week. Investigators from the county’s Major Crime Team are following leads and trying to track down Jose Perez-Silva, 29, who is wanted in connection with the death of Ana Bertha Meraz, 32. Oregon State Police Capt. Kurt Barthel would not reveal where detectives are headed, but previously told the Mail Tribune that police suspect Perez-Silva fled to California after killing Meraz. "We’re basically doing everything we can to bring in the suspect," Barthel said. Meraz was badly injured and bleeding when OSP troopers located her body Tuesday morning, lying beside her idling Chrysler convertible parked on the freeway’s southbound shoulder near milepost 11. She died moments later, police said. Advertisement Investigators have declined to specify the cause and manner of Meraz’s death. Troopers went to the scene after Meraz phoned 9-1-1 at about 6 a.m. and told a police dispatcher that she was in need of urgent medical attention. An unidentified man then took the phone and said he stopped to help Meraz after seeing her driving erratically along the freeway. Police said they are uncertain if the man was Perez-Silva. Detectives believe Perez-Silva walked back to his Phoenix home after attacking Meraz, and later left the area driving a green Nissan Pathfinder. Barthel said one of Meraz’s co-workers at Harry & David in Medford phoned police early Tuesday to report she had not arrived at work as scheduled. Bill Ihle, senior vice president of corporate relations for the Bear Creek Corporation, said Harry & David employees was "shocked" to learn of Meraz’s death. "This wasn’t just the loss of a co-worker, this was the loss of a friend," Ihle said. Meraz worked in Harry & David’s bakery division for about five years, Ihle said. The company is offering lodging accommodations, food and flowers to relatives of Meraz who are arriving this week in Medford. "We’re trying to find out what the family wants," Ihle said. "We will be front and center to help with whatever they need. ... It’s just the right thing to do." Meraz’s parents, Beatriz Mendez and Agustin Magallon of Tijuana, Mex., were denied entry to the United States on Wednesday because they did not have their daughter’s birth certificate, a family member said. Sal Gonzalez, a cousin of Meraz, said the family was working Thursday with a Mexican consulate in Portland to find a way for Meraz’s parents to come to Oregon to reclaim their daughter’s body. 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