Sacramento teacher arrested in teen's 2020 disappearance, police say
A Sacramento public school teacher has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of a local teenager who was missing for almost two years before returning home this past March, police said.
Holga Castillo Olivares, 61, is an employee of the Sacramento City Unified School District and works at a K-8 elementary school. She was arrested on Thursday and charged with detention of a minor with intent to conceal from a parent and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to the Rancho Cordova Police Department. CBS Sacramento reports that Olivares is a second-grade teacher.
Michael Ramirez was reported missing in June of 2020, when he was 15. The report came a few weeks after the teenager was last seen leaving his family's Rancho Cordova home, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff. Although an "extensive search" for him was conducted, the Rancho Cordova police said, officers were unable to find Ramirez. An ongoing investigation led detectives to Olivares.
Ramirez, now 17, "inexplicably returned home" in March of this year, according to Rancho Cordova police, who did not provide additional details about the teen's disappearance or return. Several news outlets, including the Sacramento-based NBC affiliate KCRA, have reported that Ramirez and Olivares' son were friends, citing comments from Ramirez's family. The teenager reportedly told family members upon his return that he had been staying at a former friend's house for two years, according to KCRA.
Olivares has been placed on administrative leave in the aftermath of her arrest last week, the Sacramento City Unified School District said in a news release, according to CBS Sacramento. The district confirmed in the release that Olivares is employed by SCUSD.
"The charges filed are for acts unrelated to the employee's assigned duties. The employee has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a District investigation. As this is a personnel matter, Sac City Unified has no further comment," said SCUSD in the news release, per CBS Sacramento.
Olivares is due to appear in Superior Court on Monday afternoon, police said. Authorities are asking that anyone with information related to the alleged incident report what they know to Rancho Cordova police at 916-362-5115. Anonymous tips can be shared by calling 916-874-TIPS, or by submitting an online form through the Sacramento County Sheriff website.
