By NC WANTED Staff

Posted: Jun. 24, 2009
Updated: Feb. 23, 2010

WAKE COUNTY — Miguel Ramirez Cifuentes spent most of his time on the streets of Cary, far from his family and native country, living on society's fringe.

Four years after his body was found, beaten to death, in the woods behind the convenience store where he frequently bought beer, Cary police continue to look for his killer, determined to find justice.

"The problem has always been that he is one of those lost souls. He wasn't from here... his wife and children were back in [Guatemala]," said Det. George Daniels of the Cary police department. "After awhile, we were the only ones looking for who killed him."

Cary police were called to the Cary Exxon station at 1205 NE Maynard Road in October 2005 to investigate reports of a deceased person in the woods behind the store. An autopsy showed that Cifuentes, 50, died from a blow to the head. His body was found surrounded by beer cans and police suspect that Cifuentes and at least one other person had been hanging out there drinking prior to his death.

As far as a motive, Det. Daniels is torn. "If you look at the big picture, it could have been random. Kids who just beat him to death, but it just doesn't feel [random.] It appears that someone was going to rob him and had knowledge of him. Knew that he was begging for money and had a few bucks on him," he said.

Police have tracked several leads, released a sketch, and chased one suspect for over three years, but each road led nowhere. Now, they are starting fresh.

"Maybe with a little more push or rekindling of the story, somebody may in fact say, 'yeah, I know about it,' or since 2005, someone has grown up enough to come forward," Det. Daniels said.

If you have any information about the unsolved murder of Miguel Ramirez Cifuentes, call NC WANTED toll free at 1.866.43.WANTED (1.866.439.2683) or click on "Report a Tip" Your identity can be kept confidential.