For nearly two years, a California teacher hid a then-15-year-old in her home while an active search was underway to locate him, authorities said.
Michael Ramirez’s guardians, his aunt and uncle, had been looking for him since the spring of 2020 until one day he “inexplicably” returned home. He said he had been staying at the home of his childhood girlfriend the entire time.
Holga Castillo Olivares, 61, a Grade 2 teacher in the Sacramento school district, was charged with detaining a minor with the intent to conceal from a parent — a felony — and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, the Rancho Cordova Police Department said in a statement.
The boy’s aunt, Katte Smith, told KCRA, a local news outlet, that Ramirez ran away from home after a heated argument about house rules.
“There were some restrictions because he broke some rules and he wasn’t happy about that,” Smith said. “He felt like the grass was greener on the other side.”
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Ramirez left home on May 18, 2020, and when he hadn’t returned home by June 9, the family filed a missing person report. Police initiated an extensive search for him and interviewed family members and friends, including Olivares, but they were unable to locate him.
Miraculously, on March 11 of this year, Ramirez showed up on his family’s doorstep and asked to come home. The family described feeling shock and awe at his return.
“We just had this dog pile on him,” Smith said. “And lots of happy tears.”
The last two years had been full of anxiety and concern for Ramirez’s family and they feel “robbed” of this lost time with him.
“You can’t just hide someone’s kid and think that’s OK,” Smith told KCRA.
Olivares was arrested for Ramirez’s disappearance on Thursday and appeared in court on Monday, after which records show she was released from jail, NBC reported.
She is an employee at the Alice Birney Public Waldorf school, whose website lists her as a Grade 2 teacher.
The Sacramento school district wrote in a statement that Olivares has been placed on administrative leave while the investigation is underway. They say her crimes were “unrelated” to Olivares’ assigned duties and she was taken into custody after her students had gone home for the day.
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